Colorado mining town's polluted legacy has a potential for profit, but some are wary of the risk
An old mining structure is seen in Leadville, Colo., on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
| September 12, 2024 11:00 AM
LEADVILLE, Colo. (AP) — Rust-colored piles of mine waste and sun-bleached wooden derricks loom above the historic Colorado mountain town of Leadville — a legacy of gold and silver mines polluting the Arkansas River basin more than a century after the city's boom days.
Enter a fledgling company called CJK Milling that wants to “remine” some of the waste piles to squeeze more gold from ore discarded decades ago when it was less valuable. The waste would be trucked to a nearby mill, crushed to powder and bathed in cyanide to extract trace amounts of precious metals.
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