Leadville, which sits 100 miles away from west Denver and at 10,200 feet of elevation risks facing an avalanche of water. Lake County Commissioners worry that the water that is backed up in the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel has increased its pressure so much that it can burst any time now.

Along with the flooding of the town, there are fears that the collapse will also infest the Arkansas River. Commissioner Carl Schaefer accused the federal mine engineers for their inaction on the buildup of water. During a conference call with state and federal officials, the Lake County commissioner said: “It's time to do what's right before something catastrophic does happen.”

According to the Rocky Mountain News, there are “approximately 1 billion gallons of toxic acid and metal-laden water now almost 200 feet high” behind the blockage of the water. The tunnel is supposed to drain water and to deposit it into the East Fork of the Arkansas River.

The Environment Protection Agency sent letters to the Bureau of Reclamations:  “Due to the unknown condition of the tunnel blockage and the large volume of water behind the blockages, we are concerned that an uncontrolled, potentially-catastrophic release of water to the Arkansas River from (the tunnel) is likely at some point.”

Despite the fact that over a decade ago the tunnel faced a similar situation, and finally collapsed, never in the history of the tunnel have water levels raised so high. The Bureau of Reclamations says: “The result could be a catastrophic failure. Yet, the Bureau is refusing to take immediate action.” This decision is because they do not believe that the collapse of the tunnel will happen in the near period.

The news also reached U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar ears, who sent a letter on Feb. 4 to the Bureau of Reclamations asking for a detailed report concerning the blockage situation.

The senator wrote to them: “I am also concerned that the Bureau of Reclamation has not fully cooperated with the Environmental Protection Agency or the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to address this issue.”