CDPHE/image provided
While the environmental concerns surrounding Vail Resorts’ Keystone ski area expansion grabbed media attention this summer, the company was largely out of the public eye when it came to issues related to the Beaver Creek expansion a year ago. did not.
Beaver Creek began work on its McCoy Park expansion on July 1, 2021. This includes cutting trails on 250 acres of land and installing two new chairlifts.
According to records obtained by the Vail Daily, a sediment spill in McCoy Creek in August 2021 led to an inspection on September 21, 2021 by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Division of Water Quality Management, which identified faults in stormwater management. Eleven specific observations regarding were noted. Control of the Beaver Creek Expansion Project.
These observations suggest that potential discharges of pollutants into state waters include not only sediment but also construction materials, waste from oil and grease, and sanitary waste from portable toilets in the area. I noted that
Eleven observations of defects included portable toilets exposed to the wind and not staked on a flat surface away from drains. An empty 5-gallon container of hydraulic fluid that has not been disposed of properly. There are also numerous observations related to inadequate sediment control measures in areas where stormwater flows through construction works and into wetlands.
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Vail Resorts did not take immediate action to correct these deficiencies, which prompted the department to issue a compliance advisory on November 5, 2021.
According to the department, Vail Resorts did not provide additional information as to why the corrective action was not completed, nor was it scheduled for installation or repair, or what interim measures were taken to minimize pollutant emissions. You have not provided a statement as to whether or not you have taken
The Nov. 5 compliance advisory was addressed to Beaver Creek Vice President Douglas Lovell, and Vail Resorts legally responded with a report that “identifies corrective actions taken to bring the facility back into permit compliance.” told me I needed to.
The department said in its November 5 compliance advisory that all control measures must be put in place before “the commencement of any activity that may contribute pollutants to stormwater discharges.”
The department requested this response by November 19, 2021, but has not received it. McCoy Park opened to skiers on his January 10th.
After additional conversations, Vail Resorts finally responded to the Jan. 17 inspection report, saying deficiencies identified during the department’s inspection had been addressed, according to a spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. proved.
CDPHE’s Gabrielle Johnston said:
