French Gulch Superfund Site
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Announcements and Key Topics
The third five-year review of the French Gulch site is complete. Five-year reviews allow the EPA to evaluate the cleanup work to see if it still protects human health and the environment.
The EPA found that the cleanup at the French Gulch site is not protective. Although the current remedy protects human health and allows for recreational reuse, it does not protect the environment. The EPA and CDPHE will review the water quality standards and determine if updates are needed.
Read the entire Third Five Year Review of French Gulch Site (pdf) (73pp, 43.5MB)
Background
The Wellington-Oro Mine is located near the town of Breckenridge, 2.2 miles upstream of the confluence of French Creek and the Blue River, just across the road from the Country Boy Mine. The Wellington-Oro Mine was an active mine from the late 1940s through the early 1970s. In the 1980s, the EPA investigated the site and found that it is a source of zinc and cadmium that was entering the French Creek. These elements can be toxic to fish and other life in the creek, but the cadmium and zinc in the creek were not found to be dangerous for people’s health.
Many Superfund sites are listed on the National Priorities List (NPL), but due to state and community concerns with having an NPL site in Breckenridge, the French Gulch site was not scored or considered for listing. However, the EPA follows the Superfund process to remediate the French Gulch site and remove site contamination.
In the late 1990s, the EPA and B&B Mines moved and capped old mine waste. In 2005, the EPA finalized an agreement with the Town of Breckenridge, Summit County, the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, and B&B Mines to build a water treatment plant on the site. The goal of the water treatment plant is to remove the zinc and cadmium from the water coming from the mine before it enters French Gulch.
The water treatment plant was finished in 2008 and still operates today.
The EPA reviews the site information to ensure the operations and treatment are working as intended. The Thirsd Five-Year Review was finalized in September 2025.
Contaminant Information
Zinc and cadmium are considered contaminants of concern (COCs) at the French Gulch site. COCs are chemicals that need to be addressed by a cleanup action because they pose a potential threat to human health or the environment. Zinc and cadmium at the site are not a risk to human health but can harm plants, animals, and aquatic life in the creek.
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Site Contacts
Remedial Project Manager
Angela Fowler (fowler.angela@epa.gov)
303-312-6923