Work suspended at 10 mines after spill

Site investigations and some cleanup work at 10 polluted mining complexes in four states were suspended because of conditions similar to those that led to a huge wastewater blowout from an inactive Colorado gold mine, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials said.

The accident fouled rivers in three states and attracted harsh criticism of the EPA for not being prepared despite warnings that such a spill could happen.

In a report to Congress delivered Friday, the Government Accountability Office said federal agencies identified thousands of contaminated mine sites in recent years — even as their attempts to assess what harm is being done to people and the environment have lagged.

The Aug. 12 stop-work order from EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy did not apply to sites where halting operations would pose a threat to people or increase the potential for harm to the environment, according to EPA documents.

[...] exempted were portions of the 10 stopped projects where construction already was completed, such as treatment systems for contaminated water that pours from many abandoned mine shafts.