"Mining Town Emerging From Superfund Cleanup With Optimism"

"IDAHO SPRINGS, Colo. — For decades, a creek in the mountains west of Denver sometimes ran yellow from toxic waste gurgling out of abandoned mines — a painfully familiar story in the picturesque wreckage of Colorado's 1859 gold rush.

But after a three-decade, $62 million Superfund cleanup, Clear Creek now lives up to its pristine-sounding name, at least most of the time. In the historic mining town of Idaho Springs, the creek attracts anglers, rafters and even real estate investors.

"The actual designation of the Superfund site on Idaho Springs I would say has been, in my view, nothing but positive," said Bob Bowland, a longtime resident and City Council member.

That offers hope for the town of Silverton, 165 miles (265.53 kilometers) to the southwest, where the federal government is embarking on another big cleanup after a massive spill from the Gold King Mine last year."

Dan Elliott reports for the Associated Press September 18, 2016.