The Drill Down

From 1997 – 2000, the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program safeguarded over 450 mines in the Silver Reef Mining District in Washington County. The program protects the public from the dangers of old mines while preserving mining history. Utah has a history rich in mining, including copper, silver and uranium. Often when mines were no longer producing, 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.