La Plata County commissioners voted Tuesday to ask the EPA to reimburse up to $2.4 million over the next decade to cover expenses related to the Gold King Mine disaster.
The Environmental Protection Agency must sign off on this proposed deal, to be submitted by Jan. 15, County Manager Joe Kerby said. The EPA would pay back the county as tasks are completed to protect public health and the environment.
“We’re reviewing it,” EPA spokeswoman Nancy Grantham said.
The EPA has accepted responsibility for the , caused by an EPA crew digging at the mine. It happened in the mountains above Silverton, 50 miles north of Durango, in San Juan County. But a deluge of heavy-metals-laced mine runoff gushed down the Animas River into La Plata County and Durango.
“We’re putting our case forward, requesting that they allocate that amount of money,” Kerby said. “This is important, not only to reimburse the county taxpayers for money the county spent responding to the event caused by the EPA but also for long-term monitoring of the effects of this ongoing acid mine drainage.”
Tasks locals proposed include setting up a better river monitoring system to detect changes in water quality and developing an environmental disaster response plan.
“Some of that money we’ve already spent. We’re projecting future costs,” Kerby said. “It’s a very reasonable ask. We have a specific work plan. We don’t believe it overreaches. It’s a responsible plan for us to follow to ensure the health and safety of our community.”
The commissioners also decided to delay taking a position on San Juan County and Silverton exploration of a that could lead to a federal Superfund cleanup.
