Turning Back the Pages

30 years ago – September 19, 1986

Concentrated acids and caustic solutions capable of killing people and animals were discovered at a site in north Black Hawk on September 9. According to Floyd Nichols, the on-scene coordinator from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emergency response branch, some of the acids and liquid found at the site, if mixed, could make hydrogen cyanide gas. It is the same gas that is used in gas chambers. Nichols would not estimate the distance the gas might have traveled if it was mixed. He did say that in the right combination it could have leaked into North Clear Creek or spread into the air making it toxic and dangerous to humans and animals. The property where the accident occurred is along Highway 119. Several other dangerous chemicals were found in the three trailers and scattered throughout the property. Nichols said it was an unsecured area that had been vandalized.

Over 100 people felt strongly enough about the Gilpin Quarry proposal to miss the Monday night Broncos game and instead go to the county commissioners’ public hearing about the proposal. Gilpin County Commissioner Leslie Williams, who also chaired the meeting, opened it with an apology about scheduling the hearing during the nationally televised game. “I don’t do football,” she said, so she was unaware of the conflict. Then, Williams asked for a show of hands from those for and against the quarry proposal. She said she was asking because the county attorney had advised it. At the time, it was impossible for the Register-Call representative to get an accurate count of the hands. After the meeting, J.J. Petrock, county attorney, said there were 16 in favor of the quarry and 53 against, but he said his count was only approximate, especially on those against because there were “so many.” When Williams asked for the count, there was some confusion in the audience about what she was asking, and not everyone had arrived. Those are probably reasons not everyone raised a hand. It could also mean that some or all of the rest were undecided. Siegrist Construction Co. is proposing to put an 80-acre quarry near Highway 119, about a mile up from U.S. 6. It would last for 50 years—into the next century. County Engineer Hal Donnelly explained the permitting process for the quarry. The county does not issue a permit. The state Mined Land Reclamation Board issues the permit, but asks the county for a recommendation. If a proposal is in violation of a county’s zoning, land use regulations, or master plan, MLRB must deny it. Donnelly said Gilpin County allows for mining in forestry zoning. Siegrist’s land is zoned for forestry. If a proposal meets the county’s regulations, but the county recommends denial on traffic or aesthetic grounds, a permit is not automatically denied by MLRB, according to Donnelly.