Governor to tour environmental disaster on Animas River

Communities along the Animas and San Juan rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah have been forced to stop using river water after 3 million gallons of wastewater spilled from an old Colorado mine.

McCarthy on Tuesday said that her agency accepted “full responsibility” for the spill, and said the agency was “absolutely deeply sorry” and that it expects lawsuits.

Townspeople affected by the millions of gallons of toxic waste spilled from an abandoned gold mine and now flowing through their communities demanded clarity Tuesday about any long-term threats to their water supply.

Donations of bottled water were sent in, and the American Red Cross was working to get water to homeless people who live along the river and depend on it for bathing.

The EPA said stretches of the rivers would be closed for drinking water, recreation and other uses at least through August 17.

Lees said county officials have held meetings to address the issue, but “at this point”, she said, they can’t do much more than monitor the situation and gather information from the EPA. Boaters and fishing groups have been told to avoid affected stretches of the Animas and San Juan rivers, which are crowded with rafters and anglers during the summer.

“You’re taking away the livelihood and maybe taking it away from them for decades”, he added. “As a nation of prayer, we are asking for prayers for our people right now, and I’d also just like to thank anyone who has reached out to us to volunteer help”.

The EPA leader spoke about the spill at an event at which she was scheduled to discuss her agency’s role in the Obama administration’s recently unveiled “Clean Power Plan”.

In Washington D.C. Tuesday, EPA administrator McCarthy apologized for the spill.

Victims of the contamination of the Animas River in Colorado could take the Environmental Protection Agency to court to seek damages, but it could be a long, tough legal battle that may not pay off at the end, according to environmental law experts.

The former geologist said that if there’s a “silver lining” to the disaster, it will be a new relationship between the state and the EPA to solve the problem. By doing so, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper made $500,000 of the state’s Disaster Emergency Fund available for response, the Denver Post reported Monday.

Some state officials criticized how the feds handled the crisis, according to Slate: “Authorities in New Mexico, downstream from the spill, complained that the EPA failed to alert them in a timely manner about the release of the toxic plume, which…has turned miles of the Animas River a mustard color”.

No die-off of wildlife along the river has yet been detected.

The Utah Department of Environmental Quality is now testing parts of the San Juan River to determine the overall water quality and access any potential risks.

“Till we all know what we’re up towards and what the consequences might be, we’re saying, ‘Be cautious,”‘ Baker stated.

Sypher said Farmington is not now considering water restrictions, but its officials ask that residents conserve water voluntarily.

In San Juan County, access to drinking water from the river has been shut off for the time being. Farmers also worry about contaminating their irrigation ditches once the gates are reopened, and ranchers are looking for assurances that livestock won’t be exposed to contaminants each time they wade into the river and kick up sediment while getting a drink. “We would hope that they would be cautious and recognize how a river is such a lifeblood to these people down here”.