Government vows to pay for Colorado mining spill but costs remain unknown

Effects already proving devastating for Navajo Nation as attorneys general from affected states Colorado, New Mexico and Utah promise 'to be vigilant'

The spill of toxic wastewater from an abandoned gold mine high in Colorado's San Juan mountains caused untold millions in economic disruptions and damages in three states - to rafting companies, Native American farmers unable to irrigate, municipal water systems, and possibly water well owners. And largely because the federal government inadvertently triggered the release, it has vowed to pay the bill.

That bill could be years in the making.