The Environmental Protection Agency will hold community meetings this week in Durango, Shiprock and Silverton to provide an update on the Bonita Peaking Mining District Superfund site.
An announcement by the EPA says a “recap of activities undertaken at the BPMD over the last year will be provided along with an opportunity to talk one-on-one about work being done at the site.”
In its November update, the EPA provided a list of completed activities, which include minor work at the Brooklyn Mine, installing two meteorological stations, a precipitation gauge and a full weather station around the Superfund site.
The EPA and Bureau of Land Management also installed four groundwater wells at the Kittimack tailings between Howardsville and Eureka to establish the depth of the water table and define groundwater flows.
The EPA announced it has completed its site reconnaissance at each source area included in the Bonita Peak Mining District, and will use that information to draft a plan for cleanup. The mining district near Silverton includes 48 sites targeted for cleanup under Superfund work, which it will prioritize with information gathered this year.
The Superfund designation came a little more than a year after EPA contract workers breached the Gold King Mine, releasing three million gallons of toxic mine wastewater into Cement Creek, a tributary of the Animas River. The spill led area communities and the state to seek Superfund status to get federal assistance in cleaning up mining sites.
The EPA also awarded a $100,000 Environmental Education Grant to Mountain Studies Institute.
“With the funding, MSI proposes to collaborate with the EPA to build awareness and understanding of the Animas River Watershed for residents, recreationalists and visitors,” the announcement said.
