Colorado town votes to negotiate Superfund after mine spill
Southwestern Colorado officials have voted to begin negotiating with the state and federal agencies about a Superfund cleanup of inactive mines, including one that spewed millions of gallons of wastewater into rivers in August.
Silverton and San Juan County leaders say a three-day tour of Colorado’s larges mine Superfund sites helped them make up their minds about working toward the Superfund vote held Monday.
Silverton has been refusing federal Superfund dollars for nearly two decades, fearing stigma and red tape.
Monday’s vote is a step toward cleaning up hundreds of mines leaking wastewater into the Animas River north of Silverton. The August spill from the Gold King Mine polluted rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah and forced towns and farmers to temporarily stop using the rivers.
