Driver Cited In Crash That Spilled Mine Waste Into Creek
SILVERTON, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado man has been cited for careless driving after his truck crashed and spilled treated mine waste into a creek.
The Colorado State Patrol says 58-year-old Wesley Smith of Durango lost control of the truck Monday while hauling treated waste from a plant cleaning up water draining from the Gold King Mine.
No phone number could be found for Smith.
The Gold King was the source of a 2015 spill that tainted rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says 7 cubic yards of waste spilled into the creek. EPA initially said it was 9 cubic yards, but officials now say some stayed in the truck and some was removed from the creek.
EPA says the treated waste isn't hazardous.
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