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Argo Tunnel Water Treatment Facility Tour

  • 25 May 2017
  • 1:45 PM - 3:45 PM
  • 2330 Riverside Dr, Idaho Springs, CO 80452
  • 0

Registration

  • Grants access to the tour for FREE!

Registration is closed

The RMWQAA has the unique opportunity to host a tour of the Argo Tunnel Water Treatment Facility in Idaho Springs. The tour will be held on May 25th beginning at 2pm and should take about 90 minutes. It is recommend that people arrive at 1:45 to allow for some time to get everyone together and organized. We are limited to 15 attendees and the tour will be free, so register quickly to reserve your spot! Closer to the tour date we will be contacting folks about setting up carpool groups to minimize the number of traveling vehicles.

 

Some supplemental info about the Argo Tunnel:

 

The Argo Tunnel was the primary drainage and ore transport tunnel from Nevadaville to Idaho Springs. Excavated between 1893 and 1910, the tunnel drained water from several mine workings, and allowed ore carts to be wheeled right up to the Argo Mill next door. Although the tunnel has not been used to transport ore since the 1940s, water still drains through it day and night. The tunnel discharge averages 300 gallons of acidic, contaminated water per minute. Nearly 850 pounds of dissolved metals are released from the tunnel each day. The Argo Tunnel Water Treatment Plant began operating in April 1998, treating water from the Argo Tunnel, the Big Five Tunnel at the west end of Idaho Springs and groundwater from Virginia Canyon.

 

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