Colorado governor endorses Superfund cleanup

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper says he will formally endorse a Superfund cleanup for 48 old mining sites, including one that sent wastewater into rivers in three states last summer.

Hickenlooper made the announcement Monday and said his written approval will be sent to the Environmental Protection Agency later in the day.

The EPA would oversee the project but won’t proceed without support from the governor and local officials. San Juan County and the town of Silverton endorsed the cleanup last week.

If the EPA designates the area a Superfund site, cleanup work could still be months or years away after studies and planning.

The EPA inadvertently triggered the release of 3 million gallons of wastewater from the inactive Gold King Mine on Aug. 5 during preliminary cleanup work. Rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah were polluted.