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State agency outlines emergency excavation, buffer recommendation for South Canyon mine fires
Summary
A Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) representative told Glenwood Springs council that a new hot spot at the city‑owned South Canyon mine fire peaked at about 900°F and is currently about 600°F; DRMS will begin emergency excavation around May 19 to address two hot spots and recommended a 1,000‑foot buffer and coordinated trail closures during work.
The Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) told Glenwood Springs City Council on May 1 that ongoing underground coal‑seam mine fires in South Canyon require near‑term emergency excavation and long‑term management.
Ron Terullo, the city’s parks and recreation director, introduced Tara Taffy of DRMS to update the council on work at the city‑owned South Canyon property just west of Glenwood Springs. Tara told the council DRMS has been monitoring and working on the site for years and summarized prior projects including a 2020 soil seal (a compacted clay and geotextile cap with revegetation), weed‑management work, and 2023 road realignment for safer access.
Taffy said field monitoring identified a new hot spot on South Canyon West during 2024 inventory work. “The hot temperatures peaked this winter at 900 degrees on the surface. They’re currently about 600 degrees,” she told council. DRMS plans emergency excavation of two hot areas, with work expected to begin around May 19 and run through roughly July 1; the agency warned that portions of mountain‑bike trails may have to close while crews work.
She described operational constraints and hazards: steep, unstable ground, rockfall risks that previously required trail realignments, limited cell service in the canyon, and toxic mine‑fire emissions including carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and methane. For safety and operational space, DRMS recommended maintaining a 1,000‑foot buffer around active mine‑fire sites during excavation and heavy work.
Taffy also outlined longer‑term work contingent on federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). DRMS said IIJA funding provided a multiyear funding stream and that DRMS expects more design and mitigation work in the coming years — including drilling investigations on South Canyon East in 2026 and conceptual design on South Canyon West — but noted funding and project timing depend on continued federal support.
Councilors asked about trail signage and enforcement during closures, the feasibility of alternate access alignments (DRMS presented a 2.5‑mile alignment option from the landfill to reduce impacts in the main corridor), and the engineering approach to containing the fire. Taffy described a potential grout‑curtain approach to isolate burning seams and said crews may remove coal and create a cement barrier, possibly impregnated with nitrogen to limit oxygen exposure while drilling.
Next steps: DRMS said emergency excavation would begin in late May, staff and DRMS would coordinate messaging and trail closures with the mountain‑bike community, and the agency will return with additional analysis (NEPA and feasibility) on access alignments and longer‑term mitigation.
