Administrator Wheeler Updates Superfund Emphasis List

Bonita Peak Mining District Site in Colorado remains on list, development of Adaptive Management Plan and site-wide Strategic Plan to advance cleanup progress

July 19, 2019

DENVER  — This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a revision to the Administrator’s Emphasis List of Superfund Sites Targeted for Immediate, Intense Action (Administrator’s Emphasis List).

The Bonita Peak Mining District Site in San Juan County, Colorado, is one of several sites in EPA Region 8 that will remain on the Administrator’s Emphasis List. Given the success of the Strategic Plan at the Tar Creek Superfund site in Region 6, Region 8 has decided to update the milestone for the Bonita Peak site to include the development of an Adaptive Management Plan and a site-wide Strategic Plan. This will help facilitate continued progress at the site by incorporating adaptive management principles into a strategy to achieve established site-wide cleanup goals and provide a decision-making framework for future actions.

“These plans will guide our approach to cleanup at the Bonita Peak Mining District site while additional data are collected to support continued progress at the site,” said EPA Regional Administrator Gregory Sopkin.

EPA will share information about this approach at the Bonita Peak Citizen’s Advisory Group meeting on Thursday, July 25, 2019, 5:30 pm, at the Durango Recreation Center, 2700 Main Ave., Durango, Colo.

Background

EPA established the Administrator’s Emphasis List in December 2017 in response to recommendations from EPA’s Superfund Task Force. Each site on the Administrator’s Emphasis List has a short-term milestone to provide the basis for tracking progress at the site. EPA will consider removing a site from the list once the milestone is achieved. Removal from the Administrator’s Emphasis List does not change the site’s status on the National Priorities List.  

EPA remains committed to addressing risks at all Superfund sites, not just those on the Administrator’s Emphasis List. The Superfund Task Force Recommendations are aimed at expediting cleanup at all Superfund sites. EPA continues to accelerate progress at Superfund sites across the country.

The updated Administrator’s Emphasis List is available on the Agency’s website at 
https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-sites-targeted-immediate-intense-action