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US, Colorado reach proposed settlement in 2015 Gold King Mine spill

gold king mine spill
Posted at 2:48 PM, Jan 21, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-21 16:55:28-05

DENVER (AP) — Colorado, the U.S. government and a gold mining company have agreed to resolve a longstanding dispute over who’s responsible for cleanup at a Superfund site that was established after a massive 2015 spill of hazardous mine waste.

The spill in southwestern Colorado fouled rivers with a sickly yellow sheen in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Denver-based Sunnyside Gold Corp say that the proposed settlement announced Friday would direct $90 million to cleanup at the Bonita Peak Mining District Superfund site.

A federal judge must approve the proposed settlement after a public comment period.