The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accidentally released 1 million gallons of contamination into the Animas River, 55 miles north of Durango, Colorado, the Denver Post reported Thursday.
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The mine spill flooded several parts of San Juan County.
County officials said the acidic mine water contains high levels of sediment and metals. The fluid was being held behind unconsolidated debris near an abandoned mine portal, the EPA says. “The water associated with the release is obvious and highly discolored”. Residents were also advised to keep dogs and livestock out of the river until further notice.
KSUT’s Mark Duggan talks with La Plata County Office of Emergency Management director Butch Knowlton about contaminated wastewater moving through Durango. “Any kind of recreational activity on the river needs to be suspended”. “We don’t know how evident it will be when it reaches Utah”.
The immediate impact on wildlife wasn’t clear.
There are no fish populations in the Cement Creek watershed because of longstanding problems with water quality, the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment said. Cement Creek is a tributary of the Animas River.
EPA teams are monitoring river conditions over the next several days.
“There’s nothing that can be done to stop the flow of the river”, said Joe Lewandowski, a spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “We made contact with tribal leaders and health authorities”.
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The Animas River has been closed to all watercraft as a smear of contaminated, bright yellow water makes its way downstream.
