The push to deal with inactive mines contaminating waterways advanced Wednesday as the Environmental Protection Agency proposed to add Colorado Animas River sites to a priority list of disasters eligible for Superfund cleanup.

A cluster of 48 mining sites near Silverton, including the Gold King Mine, is expected eventually to find a spot on the National Priorities List of the nation’s worst disasters threatening public health and the environment.

But the EPA’s process requires this first step, followed by a period for comments. There’s no guarantee listed sites would receive funding for cleanup.

“I’m excited. This shows our work negotiating with the EPA is paying off,” Silverton town administrator Bill Gardner said. “It shows they are true to their word that there’s going to be a commitment from them, and that we are going to move forward quicker rather than slower.”

The EPA’s role causing the Aug. 5 Gold King disaster won’t be a factor in how fast cleanup is done on the Animas in what officials are calling the “Bonita Peak Mining District.” An EPA crew botched work at the Gold King, triggering a blowout, a 3 million-gallon torrent of acidic, metals-laced drainage that temporarily turned the river mustard yellow.

“The agency will follow the same process at the Bonita Peak Mining District as for all other proposed NPL sites,” spokeswoman Christie St. Clair said.

The priorities list serves as a basis for enforcement actions against potentially responsible polluters and for securing cleanup funds. For 35 years, the Superfund program has run on the principle that polluters should pay for cleanups, defraying costs to taxpayers. EPA officials hunt for parties legally responsible for contaminating a site and try to compel them to cover cleanup costs.

“The process is moving forward,” said Peter Butler, coordinator of the Animas River Stakeholders Group, which since 1994 has worked to stop contamination from hundreds of leaking inactive mines.

“Hopefully, actual metal reductions to the river happen sooner rather than later,” Butler said.

The EPA on Wednesday also added five previously-proposed sites to the list — disasters in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey and New Mexico where contamination may degrade drinking water, groundwater, soil, wetlands, and fishing. Seven other sites were proposed, including the Argonaut mining site in California.

Contaminants found at the Colorado and around the nation include: arsenic, mercury, uranium, cadmium, copper, manganese, zinc, aluminum, chromium, lead, trichloroethane and trichloroethylene.

There are 1,714 sites on the priority list, EPA records show. Cleanups have started at 1,580 sites. Under the Superfund program, cleanups have been completed at 391 sites, which were removed from the list.

For mining, the list included 137 mining or mineral processing sites, and cleanups were partially completed at 51 mining or processing sites.

Gov. John Hickenlooper in February backed up southwestern Colorado residents in requesting EPA action to address the Gold King and other inactive mines contaminating headwaters of the Animas River — water that flows into New Mexico, tribal nations, Utah and eventually the Grand Canyon toward California.

“We are pleased the EPA proposed adding the Bonita Peak Mining District to the National Priorities List (NPL). This is a crucial next step in making the region eligible for necessary resources and comprehensive cleanup efforts under EPA’s Superfund program, but our work is not done,” Hickenlooper said Wednesday morning.

“We are working with the EPA to ensure that adequate funding for this site is provided, including immediate interim measures and options to mitigate any further water quality deterioration. We are also working to ensure state and local officials continue to have an active role and that there is robust and significant community involvement,” he said.

“Lastly, we continue to support efforts by our congressional delegation to reach consensus around ‘Good Samaritan’ legislation, which is one of the most significant tools at our disposal to allow for voluntary cleanups of draining and abandoned mines.”

Bruce Finley: 303-954-1700, bfinley@denverpost.com or @finleybruce