DENVER -- Federal officials said it will take twelve weeks, at least, to fix a 200-foot deep groundwater buildup in the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel.

But some want to know why it's taking so long?

"There is just a lot of considerations when it comes to drilling a big well and installing a pump in an 8-foot deep tunnel that's 400 feet under the ground," said Sonya Pennock, with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Pennock said they have to secure a drilling company but right now Colorado's oil and gas companies have many of those companies locked down.

On top of that, the proposal to fix the blockage calls for at least one mile's worth of pipeline. Pennock said right now pipeline is at a premium. Pipeline is another hurdle. Pennock said the pipeline will run above ground on property the EPA does not own. The EPA said they will have to get permission from each claim owner to complete the project.

They have to get all of that done in 12 weeks but said they have been aware of the problem since 2004. The EPA said the reason nothing was done before now was because the Bureau of Reclamation wouldn't let them work on the tunnel.

The Bureau of Reclamation owns the tunnel and does not believe it is responsible for treating the water from the EPA's Superfund site. It is the EPA's responsibility because some of that water comes from the California Superfund, where it is in charge of managing contaminated water that runs off the waste piles and into the ground.

As a matter of fact, the Bureau of Reclamation said it tried giving the water treatment plant and the tunnel to the state and the EPA in 2005 and offered to set up a $30 million fund for operation costs. The Bureau of Reclamation said the offer was rejected because the state wanted $50 million.

Nevertheless, increased public pressure and cooperation from the Bureau of Reclamation has now allowed the EPA's proposal to alleviate the blockage to move forward.

Near the blockage, a well and pump will be installed. The pump will then divert water into an above-ground pipeline that will then connect to the Bureau of Reclamation's water treatment plant. It will be treated at the facility, then released into the Arkansas river.

Both sides said this is a temporary fix. A long-term solution hasn't been hammered out. The Bureau of Reclamation said it has yet to receive Congressional authority to permanently treat the water.