The EPA said it will continue to sample water downstream from the mine until the contamination has passed and it determines there are “no additional concerns for aquatic life or water users”.
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A portion of the Animas River that runs through Durango, Colorado was closed this week following a waste water leak at the Gold King Mine above Silverton. Public drinking water systems that collect water from the Animas or the San Juan have been ordered to turn off their uptake valves.
The Animas flows into the San Juan River in New Mexico, and the San Juan flows into Utah, where in joins the Colorado River in Lake Powell. The state’s environment secretary, Ryan Flynn, said Friday that the agency downplayed the danger the contamination posed to wildlife, adding that potential harm can’t be known until the contents of the wastewater and their concentrations are known.
Sheriff Sean Smith of La Plata County, Colorado, used his authority to issue a restriction on recreation in the stretch of river within his jurisdiction. 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.
Gov. Susana Martinez expressed displeasure that the EPA did not notify New Mexico officials of the spill until almost 24 hours after it happened.
The impact on wildlife is yet unknown, although the EPA has brushed off the possibility this massive spill could cause any widespread problems for animals in the area. The PH of the water near the mouth of the mine was found to be 4.5, roughly that of beer. They did not discuss possible health or environmental impacts but said water quality was improving and there appeared to be no immediate health hazard. “We typically respond to emergencies; we don’t cause them”.
Durango stopped pumping water out of the Animas River on Wednesday to make sure none of the waste could be sucked up into the city reservoir.
“We’re having a real problem getting EPA to tell us what’s in this stuff”, Don Cooper, emergency manager for San Juan County, New Mexico, said earlier Friday. Last night, the river was quickly abandoned as one million gallons of wastewater seeping from a local mine slowly trickled downstream, eventually coloring the entire river an eerie electric orange.
Residents of Durango say they are concerned about long-term effects of the spill.
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One elderly community member, asking EPA officials for public information, said, “The EPA is going to stand or fall on their openness”.
