Utah has a history rich in mining including copper, silver and uranium. Often when mines no longer produced, they were simply abandoned leaving equipment, open shafts, tunnels and piles of waste rock. In 1975, the Utah Mined Reclamation Act was passed making it illegal for mines to be abandoned. Today there are an estimated 17,000 mine openings scattered across Utah.
The Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program (AMRP) works to protect the public from dangers of old mines by sealing off access to openings and cleaning up waste. Old mining sites can be intriguing to unsuspecting explorers but can contain dangerous gases, unstable structures and explosives.
The Copper Ridge and Knight Ideal projects are two of many projects completed in the past year.