Colorado Water
The issue of abandoned mines and water pollution is the subject of this article from the Rocky Mountain News [August 19, 2004, "Mines are deep trouble"]. From the article, "Much of the problem dates to mines dug more than a century ago - and then abandoned as gold, silver and other valuable metals petered out or prices plummeted. Left behind were massive tailing piles and mine tunnels that can generate pollution for centuries to come. Contamination results from a chemical reaction that occurs when once-buried rock meets water and air. That, in turn, produces acids and metals that leach into mountain streams and groundwater. The acidic, metals-laced water can wreak havoc on aquatic life, eliminating insects that provide food for fish and harming the fish themselves - stunting growth, stressing them or killing them outright. In some cases, metals-laced water means potential human health risks for those drawing from contaminated wells. It can add treatment costs for towns and cities that need the water for drinking, or threaten livestock that drink from contaminated streams. What cleanup has occurred has moved glacially. As it stands, only the largest, most-polluting mine sites typically get money. That's because the EPA declares them Superfund sites, making them cleanup priorities, with the government either forcing responsible polluters to pay or funneling federal dollars to the job. Several of Colorado's 23 Superfund cleanups involve old mine sites in Leadville, Summitville near Wolf Creek Pass, the Blackhawk/Central City area, the Eagle Mine near Minturn and Aspen's Smuggler Mine. But countless smaller mines in nearly every drainage in the state dwarf the damage from any single Superfund site. Cleaning all such sites across the West could cost an estimated $36 million to $72 billion."
Here's an article from the Denver Post about abandoned mines and their pollution [August 19, 2004, "Forest Service aids cleanup of old mines"]. From the article, "A big problem, experts agree, but there are few federal programs - or funds - to help clean up the mess. Additionally, private environmental groups such as Trout Unlimited that might help undo the damage are often deterred by the legal liability they assume as soon as they turn the first shovel of mine tailings. As a small step, the U.S. Forest Service announced it would limit liability for private cleanups at mines whose original owners have long faded into history. An estimated 51,700 abandoned mines are in the Rockies, including 22,000 in Colorado, 20,000 in Utah, 6,000 in Montana, 2,600 in Wyoming and 900 in South Dakota, according to the Western Governors' Association."
Congressman Mark Udall has an opinion piece in today's Denver Post [August 19, 2004, "Finding a way to coexist"]. He writes, "America needs oil and gas, but agriculture is vital, too, and in Colorado and throughout the West, everything depends on water...Most important, my bill requires drillers to try to work out an agreement to minimize interference with surface owners' use and enjoyment of the land, and to provide for reclamation of affected lands and compensation for any damages. If that doesn't happen, the bill provides for referring disagreements to neutral arbitration. If arbitration fails, the Interior Department could allow energy development to go forward under rules to strike a balance with the surface owner's interests."
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