The Red & Bonita Mine is located in the Upper Cement Creek drainage near Silverton, Colorado in the San Juan Mountain Range. Cement Creek drains into the Animas River water system which acts as a major water body for both drinking water and recreation.

Historically the mine has drained metallic leachate and highly acidic Mine Impacted Water (MIW) into Cement Creek. In 2015, the EPA removal team installed a large concrete plug called a "bulkhead" in the mine to flood the inner workings of the mine and prevent the creation of acids. The bulkhead prevents the creation of acid mine water by preventing the mixture of oxygen necessary to create acids.

Currently, the Remedial program is testing and studying the feasibility of permanently using this bulkhead. Meanwhile, the MIW drainage flows across and through an iron fen down gradient of the adit. The iron fen is a sensitive wetland ecosystem that requires specific pH levels. The flow of MIW into the fen threatens to both physically and chemically change the iron fen.

The main objectives for this site were to:

- Divert the MIW drainage flow around the iron fen

- Maintain safe working standards on the Removal Team

- Maintain open communication with all interested parties.

Between the operational period of Friday, August 4 and Tuesday, August 9, the Removal Team completed all objectives at the site. This includes:

1. Rerouting the MIW drainage around the iron fen.

  - The removal team dug an earthen channel around the iron fen and moved the existing conveyance line and culvert to bring the MIW drainage from the mine adit to the new channel. This required re-welding new junctions into the conveyance line. The new channel carries the MIW drainage to the bottom section of the fen, where it drains into a naturally existing drainage channel before entering Cement Creek.

2. Maintain safe working standards on the Removal Team

- Safety remained a top priority throughout the removal action and work concluded without any safety incidents.

3. Maintain open communication with all interested parties.

  - Communication with local and federal entities was maintained throughout the work period, and continues in perpetuity. This includes communication with tourists in the area, local businesses, local public entities, and federal stake holders.