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Old Mine Blamed For Turning Boulder County Creek Orange

ELDORA, Colo. (AP) — Authorities in Boulder County say seepage from an old mine caused a creek to turn orange but say the minerals and metals were not toxic.

An investigation started Monday afternoon after a resident reported that a small creek that runs through Eldora had changed color.

The Boulder County Sheriff's Office says the source of the seepage was the Swathmore Mine, where a plug had come loose.

Copter Eldora water boulder creek
Copter4 flew over the creek in Eldora on Tuesday where the water seemed clear (credit: CBS)

Water intake systems for the city of Boulder and the town of Nederland were shut down while local authorities and the Environmental Protection Agency investigated what was in the water.

(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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