New Mexico blasts EPA for late notice on Colorado mine spill

Officials in New Mexico are blasting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for not informing them soon enough about a plume of mustard-colored muck floating downstream from a Colorado mine. Farmers have been asked not to use the water.

An EPA-supervised cleanup crew accidentally unleashed 1 million gallons of the wastewater from the Gold King Mine on Wednesday, and it flowed down Cement Creek and into the scenic Animas River, which is popular with boaters and anglers.

Rushing into the pristine Animas River, the water immediately turned a brilliant yellow orange from the heavy metals contained in the waste, which include zinc, iron, copper, and more. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area has warned people to avoid swimming in or drinking the water in the San Juan River arm of Lake Powell.

“I think we need to be concerned about this”, he said. “It will not affect us at all”. There were several workers at the site and all were unharmed.

The wastewater was accidentally released by the US Environmental Protection Agency from an abandoned Colorado mine.

The plume will move downstream through New Mexico and Arizona, from the Animas, to the San Juan, to the Colorado rivers and eventually the Gulf of California. Utah officials don’t know exactly when it will arrive or what damage it may cause, but they’re warning people to take precautions. The crew was making an attempt to enter the mine as a part of a challenge to pump and deal with the water, EPA spokeswoman Lisa McClain-Vanderpool stated.

Though the spill happened on Wednesday, the EPA didn’t tell anyone about it until the next business day.

The agency was criticized for its initial response, which downplayed the extent of the spill and minimized the impact on water quality and fish already “impaired” from mine pollution.

Worked with the San Juan County Emergency Operation Center to set up potable water stations at local fire stations.

So what now? The EPA is working to stop the flow into the river by building a retention pond next to the mine.

The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office closed the river from Durango south to the New Mexico state line to all watercraft and recreational users.

Authorities are monitoring the situation by using caged fish placed in the waters to check for effects.

“It’s such a shame, it’s such a lovely river”, said Jeff McCoy, who was watching from the riverbank in Durango, where he was on a fishing trip with his son.

We expect conditions will continue to improve in the coming hours and days.

It is not yet known how the spill will affect fish or wildlife on the two rivers.

McGrath spoke to community members at a meeting in Durango on Friday.

All the waste is pouring into the river and flowing downriver. “Like pumpkin soup. It was just stupidly insane”.

A view of the contaminated Animas River near Durango, Colorado.