EPA accidentally triggers wastewater spill into Colorado river

Apparently, not. The EPA is under fire today after workers from the agency accidentally triggered a leak of wastewater while attempting to clean up an old gold mine near the city of Durango, Colorado, sending an estimated one million gallons of the toxic liquid into the Animas River.

The same area of wilderness in Utah contains well-known red rock cliffs and terraces in Utah, such as Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The heavy metals have been making the plume journey extra slowly than anticipated, and it was unclear how far it will attain or when it will dissipate, officers stated.

“We often come out right here within the lovely climate to fish, however no fishing at the moment”, stated Jeff McCoy, who was watching from the riverbank in Durango, the place he was on a fishing journey together with his son.

The contaminants flowed through Durango and across the New Mexico state line Thursday night.

The department says it deployed real-time water quality monitors in the Animas at three sites.

The water will also move through Native American reservation land, possibly impacting drinking and agricultural waters as it joins the San Juan River. No formal water restrictions were put into place, but many residents were seen boiling water or buying bottles of it in town.

Many were demanding answers including the president of The Navajo Nation.

In 1974, miners breached one of Silverton’s main tailing ponds, causing 100,000 tons of gray sludge to surge into the Animas River, washing away a part of the highway and prompting regulators to fine the mining company.

EPA Region 6 is working closely with the NMED to evaluate possible impacts in New Mexico.

Initial estimates are that the release contained approximately 1M gallons of water that was held behind unconsolidated debris near an abandoned mine portal. They know several metals, including lead and arsenic, were released.

The neighboring areas impacted by the spill are taking precautions until the discoloration passes.

“We’re going to have longer term ramifications as we have spring runoff, for example”, said McGrath. “There may be disruptions in the future”. “We’re also monitoring to make sure we don’t get infiltration into the hatchery, because that could be a problem”.

Joseph Burtard, external affairs manager for Ute Water added that Ute Water pipes its water from high mountain reservoirs straight to it’s treatment plant to avoid contamination reaching consumers.

At Friday’s public meeting, the larger consequences of the Gold King spillage on animals – and plants – living in the Animas River was at the forefront of many people’s questions.

“Endangered species downstream of this spill are already afflicted by same toxic compounds like mercury and selenium that may be in this waste”, Taylor McKinnon, of the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement Thursday.