It’s about time the feds stopped sitting on their hands and decided to take on the looming crisis in Leadville. It’s a shame, however, that county officials had to declare an emergency and scare the daylights out of Leadville residents just to get something done.
At issue is a World War II-era mining tunnel that is clogged and filling with toxic runoff. It could blow, and pollute the town as well as the Arkansas River, an important drinking water source.
Family Health” align=”right” hspace=”3″ vspace=”3″ />The tunnel has been a disaster in the making for some 30 years. Responsibility for the tunnel fix has been a bone of contention between two federal agencies since at least 2001.
But it wasn’t until the last couple of weeks that the issue gained new traction. 9News recently obtained a letter sent by one federal agency to another that cast the Leadville situation in a troubling light.
The November 2007 letter, from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Bureau of Reclamation, said the EPA was concerned about a “potentially catastrophic release of water” that could endanger human life and make for an “environmental disaster.”
In quick succession, local and state officials responded. Lake County officials declared a state of emergency, saying a potential blowout could be likened to “elements of Bhopal, India, the Teton Dam and the Summitville Mine in Colorado all rolled into one.”
Gov. Bill Ritter appealed to President Bush for help. State legislators visited Leadville and vowed action.
But the response by the federal agency in charge of the tunnel, the Bureau of Reclamation, was downright puzzling. In the glare of the spotlight, the bureau played it cool, putting out a statement calling the buildup a “perceived risk.” The tunnel and an associated water treatment plant are working as designed, the agency said.
So, what were Leadville residents to think? Their own county commissioners were comparing a blowout to some of the worst environmental and industrial disasters in recent memory, the EPA had a similarly dark assessment, and yet the federal agency responsible for the tunnel was essentially saying everything was OK for the time being.
The discrepancy between those assessments is disturbing. Was this an honest disagreement? One agency trying to avoid responsibility? A power play?
By Tuesday, the debate had turned to solutions, and it seems that the agencies were on track to take short-term and longer-term actions to relieve the water pressure on the deteriorating tunnel.
Immediate pumping is supposed to reduce water volume in the 2.1-mile- long Leadville tunnel, and in four to eight weeks, a $1.5 million drilling and pumping project will continue the work. We’re glad to see the relevant agencies have found a way to work together. It’s just a shame that it took an emergency declaration, and lots of frightened residents, to make it happen.
Tags: family, Family Health, scare