An estimated $4.3 million in grants will be shared among six entities impacted by the 2015 Gold King Mine spill, according to the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office.
The cities of Aztec and Farmington in San Juan County, the San Juan Soil and Water Conservation District, the state tourism department and the New Mexico State University Extension Service will all receive six-figure grants.
The funds come from a $32 million settlement reached in June between New Mexico and the U.S. government over the spill that polluted rivers in three western states.
“Out of tragedy comes hope, and I am honored to award these amazing applicants and their ideas to invest in their own communities,” outgoing Attorney General Hector Balderas said in a statement.
The spill devastated portions of the state, releasing 3 million gallons (11 million liters) of wastewater from the inactive Gold King Mine in southwestern Colorado. A bright-yellow plume of arsenic, lead and other heavy metals flowed south to New Mexico, through the Navajo Nation and into Utah through the San Juan and Animas rivers.
Water utilities immediately shut down intake valves, and farmers stopped drawing from the rivers as the contaminants moved downstream.
In its agreement with New Mexico, the federal government will make cash payments for response costs, environmental restoration and efforts to mitigate negative perceptions about the area’s rivers following the spill. Monitoring water quality and other cleanup activities will also be funded.
The state also received $11 million in damages from the mining companies in 2021. Under that agreement, $10 million will be paid to New Mexico for environmental response costs and lost tax revenue and $1 million will go to the Office of the Natural Resources Trustee for injuries to New Mexico’s natural resources, according to a KRQE report.