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Rico Secures Mining Cleanup Deal With Atlantic Richfield

RICO, Colo. — The town of Rico has secured a major settlement with Atlantic Richfield, a subsidiary of BP, to fund cleanup efforts addressing the impacts of decades of hardrock mining. The agreement will provide funding and services to remediate contaminated sites in the small town of approximately 350 residents.

On Thursday, Nov. 22, community members gathered at the Enterprise Bar in Rico for a meeting with Atlantic Richfield representatives, who answered questions about the cleanup process. Former Rico Mayor Nicole Pieterse, who was instrumental in the negotiations, introduced Atlantic Richfield representative Mike McAnulty.

“I’d like to introduce Mike McAnulty from Atlantic Richfield, and he can introduce the rest of his team that’s here tonight,” Pieterse said. “This will be your opportunity to ask questions about the VCUP, about yard cleanup, and you can certainly ask questions about the work being done south of town at the Columbia tailings site and north of town at the St. Louis Mine Tunnel. Mike, come on up.”

McAnulty outlined the expected four-year remediation plan, which includes cleanup of at least 21 contaminated dirt streets in town, lead sampling of properties, and the creation of individual site plans to address contamination on private land.

“It’s a good program, it’ll be beneficial to all of you. And obviously, we think it’s a good solution from our perspective,” McAnulty said. “Again, it’s a voluntary program. We’ve already spoken to people who said, ‘I don’t wanna do this.’ That’s okay, that’s your choice, certainly.”

Since 2009, Rico officials and Atlantic Richfield have worked toward the agreement, which aims to address lead-contaminated soil scattered across private properties and town streets. While the San Juan Mountains naturally contain high levels of background lead, testing in Rico has identified areas exceeding recommended exposure levels.

McAnulty estimated that the bulk of the work will take four years to complete, with funding beginning early next year.

“The funding agreement that sets all this up is effective January 1 of next year,” McAnulty said. “So we’re already in talks with the Town of Rico about how we can coordinate the work and make it as efficient as possible with a minimum amount of intrusiveness to citizens. People are sensitive to construction and truck traffic and things like that, and we wanna do everything we can to minimize impact.”

Town Trustee and Mayor Pro Tem Crystal Hibbard, who has lived in Rico since 2017 and has a background in environmental engineering, expressed optimism about the cleanup efforts.

“I think this is a reason for celebration for Rico,” Hibbard said. “I think getting this remediation underway is really important. I really appreciate all the work that Atlantic Richfield is doing to reach out to the community and make sure everyone understands what this means for them individually.”

Determining ownership of historic mine tailings in small towns is often difficult, but Atlantic Richfield has maintained a presence in Rico for years, managing legacy mining sites outside of town. Local environmental contractors will oversee much of the cleanup work.

The agreement is part of the Voluntary Cleanup Program, or VCUP. While participation is not mandatory, Atlantic Richfield officials emphasized their commitment to remediation and preventing further contamination.

“This type of agreement is rare, with most communities around the West looking to the EPA to help clean up legacy mining impacts,” said Thomas Bloomfield, an attorney with the Denver-based law firm Kaplan Kirsch, who worked on the settlement. “We think it is a very good model for other communities. Particularly if you have a party like Atlantic Richfield who is willing to step forward and take care of the costs.”

As the meeting concluded, Pieterse encouraged attendees to continue asking questions.

“Thank you. Thank everyone. And feel free to come up and ask Mike or any of the other representatives here questions individually if you didn’t have a chance during open session,” she said.

While Pieterse plans to travel in the coming months, her leadership—along with the work of Rico officials—will have lasting public health benefits for future residents.