Science in Practice Portal

Acid mine drainage is a known concern in the upper Arkansas River near Leadville, Colorado. The Lake Fork tributary of the Arkansas River is 4 miles west of Leadville. This stream flows south out of Turquoise Lake for about 4 miles to its confluence with the Arkansas River. Below the Sugarloaf Dam on Turquoise Lake, many turn-of the-20th-century silver mines exist, with tailing piles leaching heavy metals into the Lake Fork tributary. To aid in the restoration of the Lake Fork watershed, high-resolution, highly accurate terrain data must be obtained.