OF-05-01 Mine Site History and Watershed Characterization of the Cinnamon Gulch Area, Dillon Ranger District, White River National Forest, Summit County, Colorado

This publication describes the history, geology and environmental setting of several mines in the Cinnamon Gulch area and characterized constituent loading during high and low water flow in Cinnamon Gulch. The sites were selected based on the results of an abandoned mine inventory completed by the CGS in 1993. Digital PDF download. OF-05-01D

From the Author’s Notes:

During the fall of 1993, the CGS inventoried mines in the Cinnamon Gulch area of the Dillon Ranger District, White River National Forest. This project was part of an eight-year, statewide inventory of abandoned mines on USFS-administered lands in Colorado. Not all of the mines were on National Forest System (NFS) lands; in some instances the forest boundary or mine locations were incorrectly located on Primary Base Series (PBS) maps. Some mines close to NFS lands were inventoried, and mines that potentially impacted NFS lands were included. In September 2000, the Forest Service requested a watershed characterization study for Cinnamon Gulch, and more detailed studies on five mines in the area. The five mines requested are in four areas (Silver Spoon, Brittle Silver Mountain, Lower Cinnamon, and Pennsylvania Mine) inventoried in 1993. All of the selected mines had received Environmental Degradation Ratings (EDRs) of 4 (slight) or worse from CGS. This study presents the results of the additional work performed by CGS on the Cinnamon Gulch watershed and five area mines. The report is organized according to inventory areas. Inventory forms are attached in Appendix A.