A mine cleanup project in Ophir seems to be in limbo after conflicting comments were made recently by Environmental Protection Agency personnel.
Ophir Town manager Randy Barnes said the project was canceled without explanation just before an Aug. 3 meeting with San Miguel County Commissioners, in which Hays Griswold, EPA’s on-scene coordinator, was supposed to disclose this summer’s plans.
“They were planning on starting really soon here, and basically, I just got an email saying they are postponing,” Barnes said. “Obviously, Ophir is a supporter of the project, and we hope it does happen. But as far as the time frame, that’s 100 percent on the EPA.”
On July 22, the Telluride Daily Planet reported that Griswold told the Ophir General Assembly that remediation of mine tailings along the Howards Fork could begin as early as that week.
Griswold said the agency was waiting for the $1 million project, largely covered by the Chevron Corporation, to be approved, and once that occurred, work at the Carribeau Mine site would take about a month to complete.
Griswold, who did not respond to requests for comment for this story, was the temporary on-scene coordinator at the Gold King Mine last August. His orders to excavate the mine’s entrance ultimately led to the release of 3 million gallons of mine wastewater laden with heavy metals.
Speaking to the Ophir General Assembly, Griswold warned Ophir residents that work at the Carribeau Mine could displace sediment into the Howards Fork, a tributary of the San Miguel River. In doing so, he slighted Durangoans’ reaction to the sight of a mustard-yellow Animas River after the Gold King spill, an event which shut down the river for eight days, hit outdoor recreation companies and dumped 880,000 pounds of heavy metals, such as arsenic, lead and cadmium, into the waterway.
“You may see some yellow water. Don’t get excited like they do in Durango,” Griswold said.
On July 28, EPA officials in Washington D.C. told The Durango Herald that Griswold’s comments were not reflective of the agency, and declined to discuss personnel matters. Officials confirmed on Wednesday that Griswold still is employed with the agency.
For more than a year, elected officials, as well as members of the public, have demanded to know why Griswold or any other staff has not been reprimanded for the events that occurred on Aug. 5, 2015.
Federal investigators recently confirmed that a criminal probe related to the Gold King Mine blowout has been underway, but no details have been released.
The EPA, for its part, said in an emailed response it will consider all reports and investigations related to the incident “before making any final personnel decisions.”
The Ophir project would focus on 15,000 cubic yards of mine tailings that are leaching into the Howards Fork by pulling the pile away from the river, constructing sediment ponds and capping the pit.
The EPA maintains the project was never officially underway, therefore could not be considered delayed.
“The work plan at the Carribeau Mine (Ophir) location remains under review and has not yet been approved for action,” the agency said on Tuesday. “We will continue to evaluate and make a determination when we are best prepared to move forward at the site.”
The EPA’s efforts on the mines around San Juan County, now proposed for Superfund listing as the Bonita Peak Mining District, are under the direction of Rebecca Thomas, remedial project manager, and on-scene coordinator Joyel Dhieux.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
