Gold King Mine Owner Files Lawsuit Against EPA

DURANGO, Colo. (CBS4)- Six years after the Gold King Mine in Silverton polluted rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, a lawsuit has been filed in federal court. The flood of wastewater from the mine has been called an environmental disaster.

An Environmental Protection Agency-led contractor inadvertently triggered the spill while excavating at the mine entrance. Now, the EPA is being sued by the mine's owner Todd Hennis.

Hennis claims the EPA hasn't paid him for the use of his land during the response to the crisis. The lawsuit also claims his land was contaminated with arsenic and other metals.

He is seeking $3.8 million. The EPA has not responded to the lawsuit.