The Environmental Protection Agency’s quick-action plan to clean up mine sites in the Superfund area around Silverton in the next five years was approved and finalized Thursday, and work is expected to begin this summer. The EPA said in a news release Thursday morning that cleanup activities will begin this summer on 23 of the mine sites selected that “present clear human and environmental risks.” Full completion is expected within three to five years and cost up to $10 million. The plan, the EPA has said, serves as an early action response that will run concurrent with the agency drafting a more comprehensive, long-term plan for the Bonita Peak Mining District Superfund, which is made up of 48 mining sites identified as contributors to degrading water quality in the Animas River. To view the full article visit the Durango Herald.
