Many can recall the Animas River turning bright orange, signaling what appeared to be a major environmental disaster in 2015, with the Gold King Mine spill. Nearly 10 years later in the Gold King Mine, as well as many other mines in Silverton, remain an active Superfund site. You’re watching the Local News Network brought to you by Tafoya Barrett and Associates and Sky Ute Casino Resort. I’m Sadie Smith. After the spill, many of the mines were assigned to the Bonita Peak Mining District Superfund Project. A Superfund is a federal program in the United States designed to clean up hazardous waste sites.
Bonita Peak Mining District is, it’s actually an area in the headwaters of the Silverton Caldera, and so it’s not just one site. A lot of Superfund sites are one site, but this is multiple sites, and there’s probably in the county, over 300 draining adits.
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