Letters to the editor for Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016

Yerington mine needs to be cleaned up

I’ve seen it looming just outside Yerington, surrounded by homes and farmers’ fields. The Anaconda Copper Mine has been abandoned for years, yet continues to threaten the health of residents and groundwater, from what little I have read about it in the press. Many Nevadans may never have seen the giant tailings heaps, though it’s short drive to Yerington from Reno and Carson City, which may have been part of the problem.

So I was pleased to read that Sen. Reid is urging Gov. Sandoval to allow the mine to finally be cleaned up with EPA Superfund National Priority List money.

From what little you can glean, some people the “stigma” of having the mine declared a Superfund site. It reminds me of what happened this summer in Colorado, where a mine spill had far greater consequences than the NPL listing a municipality resisted, filling the nearby Animas River with 3 million gallons of heavy-metal laced wastewater.

Thanks to Senator Reid for standing up for Nevada’s citizens and water.

Susan Juetten

Washoe Valley