State environmental regulators have settled with two of the companies accused of contributing to pollution at the Summitville gold mine, considered one of the worst environmental disasters in state history.
Bechtel Corp. has agreed to pay $250,000 and ASARCO agreed to pay $86,000 to the state for cleanup, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Denver.
Both companies denied liability for actions spelled out in the settlement decrees.
The mine, in Del Norte, is a Superfund site that has cost Colorado taxpayers $35 million to $45 million in cleanup costs, according to settlement documents.
Seeping toxic metals from gold operations polluted a 17- mile stretch of the Alamosa River. During a seven-year stretch ending in 1992, about 9.7 million tons of gold ore was strip- mined from the Rio Grande County site.
In 2001, Colorado filed a complaint against a long list of companies associated with the mine, seeking reimbursement of costs.
Staff writer Alicia Caldwell can be reached at 303-820-1930 or acaldwell@denverpost.com.
