A water treatment plant previously operated on the Animas River near Silverton, but shutdown in 2003.
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The Durango Herald reports the Colorado governor, at the request of his own environmental chief, first put in an iodine tablet and waited for 30 minutes.
“We’re hoping for a return to some sense of normalcy for the use of this river, but the EPA is letting science be its guide”, McCarthy said. “Where this issue can be pending still (a similar accident) could have the same, detrimental impact on our communities”.
However, the toxic source of the water, the mines in the San Juan Mountains, are only now being addressed because of the work of the federal agency. EPA officials say they underestimated the water pressure.
He cited efforts to clean up Colorado’s stretch of the Arkansas River that began with a 1982 spill, and the fish kills that came after Summitville Mine dumped wastewater into Wightman Fork, near Del Norte, Colorado. “For us it’s not just recreational purposes”.
Hewitt also asked Trump about whether he would fire the EPA Director if a similar disaster was ever to happen on his watch.
Last week a large volume of toxic waste laden with heavy metals flowed into the river.
“It’s a shame and it’s scary what’s happening out there”, Ducey said.
“One of the reasons I am in Durango is to discuss with my colleagues from Colorado and New Mexico legal options to ensure the EPA lives up to its promise to be fully accountable and transparent – and to make our citizens and environment whole”, said Utah Attorney General Reyes.
Begaye said there is uneasiness and uncertainty, especially since Navajo people have a natural distrust of the federal government based on their history working with them. Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman said she thinks it is too early to say whether litigation is necessary or appropriate.
“I had initial hesitation on going public with this with visions of mobs and pitchforks and torches”, Hennis said.
“The Animas River … has actually returned back to pre-incident conditions”, she told a crowd of news reporters.
They weren’t so quick to point out that the contaminants had likely been absorbed into the soils of the riverbed and along the banks, and those chemicals and metals would again be released into the river when storms or floods stir up sediment.
How did this peaceful tributary turn into a torrent of toxic Orange Julius?
Citing EPA incompetence, a failure to quickly release information, and supposed attempts downplay the magnitude of the spill, many are calling for massive repercussions for the agency.
The spill led two Colorado municipalities, including Durango, and the New Mexico towns of Aztec and Farmington, to shut off their river intakes.
Other than lead and secondary metal contaminants, which mainly affect taste and color, everything was within the standards, officials said.
Flynn called it “a reckless and irresponsible act by a public official”. “He might as well stick 15 cigarettes in his mouth and light them all at the same time and take a picture about how that’s good for you”.
Lake Powell is man-made body of water that rose after the damming of the Colorado River, into which the San Juan flows.
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Aztec, New Mexico resident Don Dufur tries to pump some water the well outside his home so members of the New Mexico Environment Dept. can check it for contamination.
