DENVER—Colorado Congressmen Doug Lamborn and Mark Udall have introduced legislation to clarify which federal agency has authority to remove up to a billion gallons of water trapped in a Leadville drainage tunnel.
Lamborn, a Republican, and Udall, a Democrat, say the bill introduced Thursday makes clear that the Bureau of Reclamation can remove and treat the contaminated water.
The bureau and the Environmental Protection Agency have disagreed over who has the power to do that.
The tunnel drains water from abandoned mine shafts. A collapse inside the tunnel was first detected in 1995, allowing water to back up in hundreds of shafts.
Lake county officials say growing water pressure could cause a catastrophic blowout and flood the town.
