Feb 16, 2008 8:26 pm US/Mountain
Ritter Asks Bush To Act On Leadville Mine Threat
DENVER (AP) ―
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Contaminated water is already starting to appear above ground.
CBS
Gov. Bill Ritter has asked President Bush for quick action in dealing with the threat of a catastrophic blowout of 1 billion gallons of contaminated water trapped in a mine drainage tunnel near Leadville.
In a letter sent to Bush Friday, Ritter asked for the president's help in speeding up the drilling of wells to pump out water trapped behind the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel.
State, county and federal officials are studying what to do about the growing pool caused by the partial collapse of the 2.1 mile long tunnel. The tunnel collapsed more than 30 years ago. Lake County commissioners have been trying to get the federal government to take action for years. The tunnel is on federal land and it's the federal government's responsibility.
"It could have been taken care of years ago," Leadville resident Wizard Nemerson said. "Now it's to a point where it needs to be taken care of right away."
"It's been the most frustrating experience you can possibly imagine," Sen. Tom Weins of Castle Rock said. "We've heard things from the federal and state government before that says, 'Oh yeah, we're going to help you,' and then they don't do it."
Lake County officials this week declared an emergency over fears that above-average snowpack melting this spring could add more water and lead to a blowout.
Sen. Ken Salazar took a tour of the collapsed tunnel on Saturday.
"We want to make sure a blowout is prevented," Salazar said. "Now it's time for action and that's what we will keep monitoring in the weeks ahead."
There is a short-term solution using pumps to prevent a blowoue, but local officials said they don't want a band-aid -- they want a long-term solution.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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