June 6, 2008--Mining cleanup might take 3 years, EPA predicts (The Pueblo Chieftain)
A final Superfund listing for part of the historic mining district north of town is likely in September, but clean up of one of the main pollution sources may take up to three years, according to officials with the Environmental Protection Agency.
"It's pretty much smooth sailing from here on out with the listing," Gwen Christiansen, an EPA environmental scientist and engineer, told a meeting Wednesday of the Willow Creek Reclamation Committee. The designation would cover five acres and include the Nelson Tunnel, which drains five mines before dumping into West Willow Creek. It has been the largest source of cadmium, lead and zinc in the watershed. The pollutants have eliminated the fishery in a two-mile segment of the stream and officials believe it may also limit fish reproduction in a nearby segment of the Rio Grande.
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