The Environmental Protection Agency is reimbursing five local agencies in Colorado and Utah for a spill it caused in August 2015, releasing more than 3 million gallons of toxic sludge that sullied the waterways of three states.
The EPA announced Thursday that it will be giving $90,000 in “additional reimbursements” to five agencies in the two western states for the costs they incurred in responding to the disastrous spill at the Gold King Mine in Silverton, Colo.
The spill occurred after an EPA contractor working on the mine caused a major blowout that poured toxic wastewater from the mine into the Animas River, which turned the river bright orange.
The payments cover requests that the EPA received before the passage of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act in December, which directed the agency to approve reimbursements after the EPA said it would not reimburse states and local governments.
“States, tribes and local governments are valued partners,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “With the Gold King Mine and the rest of the Bonita Peak Mining District now on the Superfund Priorities List, we look forward to improving the environment for everyone involved and ensuring Gold King costs are handled in a timely and fair manner.”
The agency is still evaluating other reimbursement requests, some of which were received after the bill was passed, the agency said.
“The payments are made using EPA guidelines for determining which response costs related to the Gold King Mine release are eligible for reimbursement under the recently passed WIIN Act,” the agency added.
It said the agency has dedicated more than $29 million to address the spill, which includes $3.5 million in reimbursement payments to 10 states, tribal and local governments.
