Reclamation awards construction contract for Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel water treatment plant

LEADVILLE, Colo. - The Bureau of Reclamation awarded a contract to Oscar Renda Contracting Inc. for $131,755,000 to construct a new water treatment plant at the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel. This contract, partially funded by President Biden's Investing in America agenda, funds construction of a water treatment facility with a 3.2 million gallon per day capacity, deconstruction of the existing plant, and other site upgrades.

The water treatment plant, built in 1991, has exceeded its expected service life of 30 years. Over the next several years, Reclamation will build the new water treatment plant. The new plant will have a longer life expectancy and room for growth. Engineering designs incorporated lessons learned over previous decades, emphasized safety, and improved the plant's visual impact in the community. Reclamation has announced a total of $90 millionfor the project from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

"The Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel water treatment plant has done an outstanding job of serving the public and protecting downstream water quality for many decades, and we are excited to carry on that legacy with the construction of this new plant," said Jeff Rieker, Eastern Colorado Area Office manager. "We are proud to be good stewards of the water in the much-valued Arkansas River."

The plant removes lead, zinc, manganese, iron, and other heavy metals from contaminated water that flows from the two-mile-long Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel. It sends 650 million gallons per year of treated, clean water to the headwaters of the Arkansas River in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency regulations. After two decades of collaborative ecosystem restoration by EPA, Reclamation, USGS, Newmont and other state, federal and local partners, the Arkansas Headwaters was named a Gold Medal Trout Stream in 2014.

Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Reclamation is investing a total of $8.3 billion over five years for water infrastructure projects, including rural water, water storage, conservation and conveyance, nature-based solutions, dam safety, water purification and reuse, and desalination.

Since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was signed in November 2021, Reclamation has announced more than $4.2 billion for an ever-growing list of 586 projects.

Media inquiries or general questions about Reclamation should be directed to Anna Perea, Public Affairs Specialist, at 970-290-1185 or [email protected]. If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits.