Cotter Corporation NSL Cañon City, Colorado

If Only They Had Listened

To the editor:

For years, Cotter and the Colorado Department of Health and Environment said there was no contamination getting to the Lincoln Park community. For fewer years, CDPHE said it was there, but it was significant. Now, it is there and seems to have stagnated.

It is there and has been, radiating the neighborhood for more than 40 years.

How many people suffered medical problems caused by the infiltration of contaminated water into Lincoln Park?

How many deaths were/are caused by that contamination?

How many might not have died if Cotter had been urged to prevent further contamination by local authorities who became aware of but denied it?

And most important, why did the CDPHE not act on its agreement with the Atomic Energy Commission to oversee the milling operation as rigorously as the AEC, or more so?

And Colorado endorses more uranium mining, hauling and milling. Ten years have passed since Lynn Boughton died of radiation induced cancer; 39 years since he called Cotter’s (Atlantic Richfield Oil) attention to the contamination seeing into Lincoln Park; 27 years since he called potential neighborhood injury attention to Fremont County Commissioners and Cañon City Council; and 27 years since the same commissioners, council, board of realtors, Chamber of Commerce, collection of attorneys, banks and insurance company’s spent time and energy on efforts to “kill the messenger.” If only they had listened.

Deyon Boughton,

Florence