Overview
Overview
Newmont's Cripple Creek & Victor Mine Gold Mine (CC&V) is located in Teller County, Colorado, southwest of Pikes Peak. CC&V was formed as an operating company for mining operations in 1976, with mining in its Cresson Project starting in 1995.
CC&V’s modern, high-tech operations allow for responsible surface mining of various ore types. The majority of the ore is processed in a zero-discharge, valley-type, leach pad to recover gold and silver. In 2015 CC&V commissioned a rod, ball, and flotation mill which processes CC&V’s higher grade, non-oxidized ore.
Key Facts
The Cripple Creek gold deposits occur within a seven square mile (18 sq. km), 30 million year old, volcanic-intrusive complex that erupted and intruded through rocks that are over one billion years old.
Operation Facts
Location:
Location: Near the towns of Cripple Creek and Victor
Mine Type:4 surface operations
Metals Mined: Gold and Silver
Annual Gold Production*: 322 attributable Koz
Date of First Production: 1976
*December 2019. See cautionary statement.
†Consolidated $/oz
Location History
The Cripple Creek Mining District was mined historically with underground operations until the 1960s. Mining activity then ceased for approximately a decade. Small-scale surface mining using the heap-leach gold recovery method began in 1971 followed by large-scale surface mining, which grew with the start of production at CC&V’s current mining operation, called the Cresson Project.
The Cresson is named for the historic underground mining operation of the same name. The Cresson is famous for the great gold find of the District, the “Cresson Vug.” A vug is a cavity in the rock, lined with crystals somewhat like a geode.
Engineering for the modern Cresson Mine began in 1993, and obtaining the various permits necessary to mine, ensuring compliance with applicable federal, State, and local requirements was completed in 1994.
Learn more about the Cripple Creek Mining District history.
Health and Safety
Newmont's goal is to create a zero-harm workplace, and in Colorado, we have several programs and tools to help us achieve that goal.
For example, at CC&V, employees established an engagement program called SOS (See it, Own it, Solve it), which is a collaborative effort across all levels of the organization. The program encourages employees to improve our operations by speaking up when they see concerns, taking ownership of those concerns and helping identify solutions.
Environment
We use best practices to manage storm water, prevent pollution and protect wildlife. Careful monitoring of air, water quality and quantity, wildlife populations and habitat are key to protecting these resources. Monitoring reports are routinely and regularly submitted to various regulatory agencies.
Compliance and Reporting
Newmont's Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mine (CC&V) sites, facilities and projects are subject to state and federal environmental regulations. Newmont has a staff of environmental professionals and technicians to manage these regulations appropriately and carry out the company’s standards of environmental stewardship.
Closure and Reclamation
Colorado’s unique and varied natural landscape is an attribute that Newmont is committed to help protect for the enjoyment of future generations. In order to do this, planning for closure starts at the development stages of all projects. Additionally, concurrent reclamation is practiced throughout the mine life to revegetate and stabilize disturbed areas as soon as possible to provide habitat for wildlife and avoid erosion.
Community Outreach and Education
CC&V has organized noxious weed identification and management programs with local residents that raise awareness of weed problems in and around the city of Victor. The site has also worked for several years with the Cresson Elementary and Catamount Institute “Young Environmental Stewards” (YES) Clubs of the Pikes Peak Region to reclaim an abandoned gravel site now called “Ceylon Beard’s” in honor of the local resident who homesteaded there. The site has become an experiential learning station for local kids on planting ponderosa pine, building birdhouses and bat houses, creating small animal habitat, and studying macroinvertebrates.