DENVER (AP) – Southwestern Colorado officials said Friday that they are ready to talk to the Environmental Protection Agency about a federally financed Superfund cleanup of inactive mines, including one that spewed millions of gallons of wastewater and polluted rivers in three states this summer.
It would be an important step toward cleaning up hundreds of idle mines that have been pouring acidic wastewater into the Animas River north of Silverton for years. No laws required mine operators to mitigate environmental damage, and in many cases, the owners simply walked away when mining ceased.
“It’s a direction we’re heading in,” San Juan County Administrator Willie Tookey said of a Superfund designation.
Some residents of the tourism-dependent community are wary of a Superfund listing, fearing it could discourage visitors, depress property values and take years to resolve. But the Aug. 5 spill at the Gold King Mine increased pressure to act.
The spill tainted rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, including the Navajo Nation and the Southern Ute Reservation. Towns, farmers and rafting guides had to temporarily stop using the rivers.