the coal creek watershed
COAL CREEK
Coal Creek runs through Crested Butte and is a tributary to the Slate, East, and Gunnison Rivers.
The Coal Creek Watershed covers an area 15,600 acres in size and Coal Creek itself serves as the primary municipal water source for the Town of Crested Butte.
The diversion that brings water to the town is approximately 2.5 miles downstream of the Standard Mine, 50 feet upstream of the Keystone Mine outfall, and approximately 1 mile downstream of the water drainage from the Mt. Emmons Iron Fen.
The Coal Creek Watershed Coalition was first formed in 2004 to address the water quality issues at the Standard Mine. Since 2004, the CCWC has become a non-profit corporation, applied for and received many grants, gathered a large quantity of water quality data, expanded to include the Upper Slate River and Washington Gulch Watersheds, and conducted many reclamation projects in the Coal Creek and Upper Slate River watersheds.
The Coal Creek Watershed covers an area 15,600 acres in size and Coal Creek itself serves as the primary municipal water source for the Town of Crested Butte.
The diversion that brings water to the town is approximately 2.5 miles downstream of the Standard Mine, 50 feet upstream of the Keystone Mine outfall, and approximately 1 mile downstream of the water drainage from the Mt. Emmons Iron Fen.
The Coal Creek Watershed Coalition was first formed in 2004 to address the water quality issues at the Standard Mine. Since 2004, the CCWC has become a non-profit corporation, applied for and received many grants, gathered a large quantity of water quality data, expanded to include the Upper Slate River and Washington Gulch Watersheds, and conducted many reclamation projects in the Coal Creek and Upper Slate River watersheds.
