In recent days, Durango Mayor Dean Brookie and La Plata County Commissioner Gwen Lachelt have shown to be falling out of line in cooperation; instead wanting to go around our neighbors to the north concerning a potential Superfund designation in the Animas River Basin. These officials did not attend a recent joint public hearing held by the Silverton Board of Trustees and San Juan County Commissioners to learn facts about the situation and feel the passion in the room.

From a distance, it’s easy for Lachelt to say that La Plata County was more affected by the Gold King Mine spill than San Juan County. From a distance, it’s easy for Brookie to say Durango’s needs are equally important. During the spill, the concerns for Durango’s water supply was tamped down to say the Animas River provides little and is quickly closed off with a valve. Today, it is an emergency that impacts 20,000 people.

Brookie and Lachelt want quick action to a seemingly unsolvable problem. Today’s technology offers a grossly expensive solution. A Superfund from the federal government is the pot of gold that starts a project. Over time it will be Colorado taxpayers who pick up the tab for eternal maintenance.

Brookie and Lachelt fail to recognize that Silverton and San Juan County have come a long way from no discussion to negotiations for a Superfund. When EPA strongmen will impact a jurisdiction and its constituents for decades to come, it’s prudent to have a written agreement that has Is dotted and Ts crossed.

If Brookie and Lachelt had attended the meeting, they would have seen that leaders are stressed in trying to get it right for what they view is the biggest decision in the history of their community.

Sandy Young

Durango