Letter to Gina McCarthy, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator - Prioritize Water Treatment Plant for Upper Animas River

Letter

Dear Administrator McCarthy:

We urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make the construction of a water treatment plant in the Upper Animas River watershed a top priority for the long-term recovery of communities affected by the Gold King Mine blowout.

Legacy mine pollution is a serious, long-standing problem across the West. In the Upper Animas basin alone, four large mines discharge approximately 330 million gallons of acid mine drainage into Cement Creek each year. We recognize that the EPA was attempting to address these issues when they triggered the blowout. However, as communities in southwest Colorado look to move forward in the wake of this disaster, they need reassurance that the party responsible for the blowout now has a long term plan to restore the watershed.

We must first utilize reliable methods to reduce heavy metal loading into the Animas River. A wide variety of local stakeholders including the mining community, environmental groups, elected officials, and experts believe that one of the best initial solutions is construction of a water treatment plant. We urge the EPA to commit to securing the funding as soon as possible to construct and maintain a water treatment plant on Cement Creek. Over the longer term, in coordination with the community, a wide range of solutions and tools will be needed to restore the Animas River watershed.

A funding commitment by the agency will significantly help to restore the community's trust and confidence in the EPA and the federal government. Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

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