The health of our waters is the principal measure of how we live on the land — Luna Leopold
@EPA to drill into the American Tunnel to assess water levels and underground interconnections #AnimasRiver
American Tunnel Terry Portal via MinDat.org
From the Associated Press via Colorado Public Radio:
The EPA said it will drill into the American Tunnel next month to measure water levels and investigate how the passage is connected to other shafts.
The agency is looking for ways to stop or treat contaminated water pouring into rivers from old mine sites in the Bonita Peak Superfund area north of Silverton…
The EPA said it would follow strict safety guidelines when drilling the test well into the American Tunnel.
On April 7, 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed adding the “Bonita Peak Mining District” to the National Priorities List, making it eligible for Superfund. Forty-eight mine portals and tailings piles are “under consideration” to be included. The Gold King Mine will almost certainly be on the final list, as will the nearby American Tunnel. The Mayflower Mill #4 tailings repository, just outside Silverton, is another likely candidate, given that it appears to be leaching large quantities of metals into the Animas River. What Superfund will entail for the area beyond that, and when the actual cleanup will begin, remains unclear. Eric Baker
