Our community is in shock after the catastrophic spill of acidic mine runoff into the Animas River. As a longtime angler and conservationist, I’m especially troubled about the potential spill impacts, short-term and long-term, on our Gold Medal wild trout fishery in the Animas. This is a direct threat to the health of our cherished Animas and to our vitally important recreation economy.
This is also a wake-up call to our community about the ongoing threat posed by abandoned hard-rock mines. There are an estimated 500,000 of these mines, affecting about 40 percent of headwaters in the West.
Hundreds of these festering mine sites dot the San Juan Mountains area; many leach a witches’ brew of toxic heavy metals, and under certain conditions, they can be unstable and blow out. While groups like Trout Unlimited have been working voluntarily to clean up these mine sites, we’ve been thwarted by current federal regulations and the high cost of meeting them.
For several years, TU and other stakeholders have been working for a solution that would expedite abandoned mine cleanups. Thankfully, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo., have expressed a commitment to solving this problem for the communities of Southwest Colorado that are negatively affected by it.
This tragic event underscores the urgency of finding a solution. Please urge our congressional representatives to help find a solution that gives groups more incentives to tackle abandoned mine cleanup.
Lend your voice to this effort by going to www.sanjuancleanwater.org and taking action.
Buck Skillen
Durango
Editor’s note: Buck Skillen is president of the Five Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
