News Release Archive

Reclamation to host Leadville exercise testing emergency communications, response

Media Contact: Kara Lamb, (970) 962-4326, klamb@usbr.gov
Jeff Foley, jfoley@bresnan.net

For Release: July 13, 2009

The Bureau of Reclamation, in partnership with the Lake County Office of Emergency Management, will host a functional exercise July 22. The exercise is part two of Reclamation's Emergency Action Plan for the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel and Treatment Plant. Part one, a tabletop exercise, was held in Nov. 2008.

"During this exercise we will test our inter-agency communications and response plans, as well as our emergency notification system," said Howard Bailey, Safety Manager for Reclamations Eastern Colorado office.

Reclamation will test the emergency notification system at 10:30 a.m. Residents in and around the Village at East Fork will hear the warning siren and a pre-recorded emergency announcement in Spanish and English. The live exercise will occur between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at the Silver King Inn, 2020 North Poplar Street, Leadville, Colo.

"Conducting a functional exercise ensures our personnel maintain the highest levels of proficiency and readiness for a myriad of emergency scenarios," said Bailey.

Emergency Action Plans (EAP) are part of Reclamation's agency-wide safety program and are tested regularly through Tabletop and Functional exercises. Meeting the EAP schedule is one of the recommendations arising from the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel Risk Assessment published last fall.

"We are steadfast in honoring the commitments we made to the public and following through with each recommendation in the risk assessment," said Reclamation Great Plains Regional Director Mike Ryan. "While the treatment plant continues to effectively and safely treat water, we remain dedicated to providing human and technical resources for the professional management of the drainage tunnel and treatment plant."

For questions regarding the functional exercise, please contact either Kara Lamb with the Bureau of Reclamation at (970) 962-4326 or Jeff Foley with Lake County's Office of Emergency Management at (719) 239-1807.

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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. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.

Relevant Link:

Eastern Colorado Area Office Home Page