Now, a river of orange-colored discharge is flowing into New Mexico after Wednesday’s accidental release of mine waste into a tributary of the Animas River.
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San Juan County health officials said that the acidic mine water associated with the release contains high levels of sediment and metals. Officials in Utah are also monitoring the situation as the San Juan river’s ultimate destination is Powell Lake, a reservoir along the border of Utah and Arizona.
The EPA began testing the Animas River for hazardous materials on Thursday.
“We have alerted Navajo EPA, Department of Health, and Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program to inform our people about the dangers of using contaminated water”.
The Animas River runs through the downtown of Durango, Colo., a popular tourist destination, and is a major source of the city’s drinking water. The fluid was being held behind unconsolidated debris near an abandoned mine portal, the EPA says.
The EPA has said people should stay out of the river. “We don’t cause them”.
Several workers were in the EPA crew that was using heavy equipment to pump and treat the waste water when the breach occurred, Mylott said, adding that none were injured. The Animas River remains closed to the public and the leaking mine is polluting water above Silverton at 800 gallons per minute, Salka said. Begaye also called on the EPA to immediately release details of the water’s contaminants.
From there, the orange water plugged steadily along through the small stretch of winding river in southern Colorado and across the state border to New Mexico where the Animas meets the San Juan River.
“It’s something that our community is going to be dealing with for years”, he said. “This Order shall remain in effect until it is determined that the river is safe”.
The EPA agrees and says because of long-standing water-quality impairment associated with heavy metals in Cement Creek, there are no fish populations.
Check out the before and after shots of the river to see just how much work there is to do.
“It’s incredible that we don’t know more”, State Senator Ellen Roberts told the Denver Post.”We have the equivalent of an EPA-caused Love Canal here”.
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“This is a significant spill”, said Elizabeth Holley, an assistant professor of mining engineering at the Colorado Schools of Mines.
