The Animas River has carried much more than water during the last 120 years. Hidden contaminants have been flowing through the watershed since the turn of the century and earlier--the leach of natural mineral deposits and toxins from hundreds of former mines and their associated waste. One local group, the Animas River Stakeholders, has been working for more than a decade to reduce the metal load and enhance the water quality of the Animas. However, key to future work on the upper Animas will be the adoption of "Good Samaritan" legislation, which would release the stakeholders and other Samaritans from liabilities associated with cleanup.

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