Post by Logan on Apr 1, 2016 0:38:46 GMT -6
Agencies meet to discuss inactive mines draining into Colorado waterways
LAKEWOOD — State and federal agency officials this week ramped up efforts to build a complete, interlinked inventory of the hundreds of inactive mines draining into Colorado waterways, aiming to prioritize the worst of the worst for cleanup.
"Putting it all together is the building block to be able to take the next step, which is a prioritization list," the state's senior water quality scientist Andrew Ross said. "Then we can put together a state reclamation plan."
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment estimates that acidic metals-laced mine water contaminates more than 1,600 miles of streams and rivers. There are an estimated 23,000 inactive mines in Colorado — 22,000 on federally managed public land — that companies have abandoned. These are a main source of harm to waterways that affects human health and ecosystems.
While multiple federal and state agencies hold information on inactive mines, there's no comprehensive data hub that could be used to assess impacts, risks and costs for cleanup.
Read more: www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29710134/agencies-meet-mine-talk?source=top_stories_bar
LAKEWOOD — State and federal agency officials this week ramped up efforts to build a complete, interlinked inventory of the hundreds of inactive mines draining into Colorado waterways, aiming to prioritize the worst of the worst for cleanup.
"Putting it all together is the building block to be able to take the next step, which is a prioritization list," the state's senior water quality scientist Andrew Ross said. "Then we can put together a state reclamation plan."
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment estimates that acidic metals-laced mine water contaminates more than 1,600 miles of streams and rivers. There are an estimated 23,000 inactive mines in Colorado — 22,000 on federally managed public land — that companies have abandoned. These are a main source of harm to waterways that affects human health and ecosystems.
While multiple federal and state agencies hold information on inactive mines, there's no comprehensive data hub that could be used to assess impacts, risks and costs for cleanup.
Read more: www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29710134/agencies-meet-mine-talk?source=top_stories_bar