The sacred Topock Maze in California. Photo from Facebook
The Fort Mojave Tribe is still waiting on a cleanup plan for a sacred site that was contaminated by an energy company in California. In 2006, Pacific Gas & Electric apologized for harming the Topock Maze, a series of rock formations and lines that is considered the portal into heaven. As part of a settlement, the company agreed to shut down operations of the Topock Compressor Station and deed the sacred site to the tribe. Nearly 10 years later, tribal, federal and state agencies are still waiting on the plan. It could be finalized soon but cleanup wouldn't begin until 2016 or possibly 2017, according to news reports.
A view of the Topock Compressor Station in California along the Colorado River and the Arizona border. Photo from PG&E
It could also take 30 years for the are to be fully decontaminated, The Havasu News. Some of the toxic chemicals have seeped onto the reservation, the paper said. The company freely disposed of the waste in the 1950s and 1960s. The practice stopped after residents raised concerns, a story that was depicted in a movie about activist Erin Brockovich. Get the Story:
PG&E nears plan to filter chromium on Colorado River, could take 30 years to decontaminate (The Havasu News 5/4)
Site cleanup still a year away (The Mohave Daily News 5/1) Related Stories:
Fort Mojave Tribe revives lawsuit over sacred place in California (3/4)
Victory for Fort Mojave sacred site in California (11/10)
Lawsuit filed over treatment plant at sacred site (6/22)
Tribes battle gas company over sacred site along river (03/21)
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