The Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining Abandoned Mine Reclamation (AMR) program is closing 200 mine openings in the Clifton Hills area in western Tooele County. The mines are located on private and Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) lands.
Staff is coordinating with land owners to select acceptable closure methods including backfilling, masonry walls and rebar grates. Construction is scheduled to begin next spring.
Program staff is seeking public input through Jan. 20 to identify areas of concern or issues to consider during the planning phase of the project. The public may submit comments to chrisrohrer@utah.gov or request a public meeting.
“Abandoned mine openings can be intriguing to people,” stated AMR Project Manager Chris Rohrer. “However, they can be very dangerous due to unstable materials, hazardous gases and explosives. The AMR program works to protect the public from dangers of old mine openings by sealing off access.”
This project is the second largest mine closure project in the area. The first was the Gold Hill Project in 2007 that closed 158 mine openings.
The Gold Hill area was a center of gold and silver mining dating back to the 1860s and peaking around the turn of the 20th century. There were small booms of arsenic production during both World War I and II along with lead, copper and tungsten.
For more information on the AMR program, visit ogm.utah.gov.