La Plata County officials and staff have about two weeks to craft a co-opt agreement in order to recoup money spent in the aftermath of last month’s mine spill in Silverton.
County staff reports the county has spent about $178,000 responding to the Aug. 5 Gold King Mine spill, which unleashed about 3 million gallons of acidic wastewater into the Animas River.
A team contracted by the EPA was doing remedial work at the mine portal and, underestimating the water pressure, accidentally caused the spill.
La Plata County requested the federal agency issue an initial response reimbursement of $200,000 to cover expenses, such as overtime compensation for staff. In order to receive that money, commissioners must adopt a co-opt agreement outlining expectations and goals with the EPA.
Goals reach far beyond the Aug. 5 disaster.
The agreement could include language addressing long-term monitoring measures and La Plata’s overall environmental health.
“It’s not necessarily about the Gold King Mine incident anymore,” Commissioner Gwen Lachelt said.
“This took everyone by surprise, even those who worked on this intimately and knew there was always a concern there could be a bigger spill,” she later told The Durango Herald.
Lachelt said cleanup of Cement Creek, a contaminated Animas tributary unlivable for wildlife, should be among top priorities.
She and her colleagues considered looking to other organizations in Colorado for guidance, but Peter Butler, co-coordinator of the Animas River Stakeholders Group, pushed the commission to take advantage of the chance to steer the agreement in its favor.
Once a final draft is complete, the commissioners will vote on it.
Next week, commissioners will hear the results of an independently conducted water sampling study and compare their data with the EPA’s in order to rest the minds of county residents who don’t trust the federal agency’s findings.
Commissioners seek reimbursement for this cost as well.
