A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cleanup team working with heavy equipment on Wednesday to investigate pollutants at an abandoned gold mine north of Silverton, Colorado, accidentally released an estimated 1 million gallons of mine waste into a tributary of the Animas River.
Hundreds of people reportedly gathered to watch on Thursday evening as the mine waste turned the normally blue waters into an orange sludge as it spread downstream. The Cement Creek where the mine is located runs into the Animas River, which then flows into the San Juan River in New Mexico and joins the Colorado River in Utah.
According to health and environmental officials, "the wastewater contained zinc, iron, copper and other heavy metals, prompting the EPA to warn agricultural users to shut off water intakes along the river and law officials to close the river to recreational users."
Towns along the the San Juan River in New Mexico began to prepare for the orange sludge headed their way on Thursday after an official from the Southern Ute Tribe notified the state, and was the first news of contamination. There had been no word from the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Governor Martinez hopes the EPA will be more cooperative and forthcoming moving forward as we work to address this situation and that the EPA will demand the same of itself as it would of a private business responsible for such a spill,”said spokesman Chris Sanchez.
There have been no reports of injuries, or contamination of drinking water. It's also unknown whether the spill could have any human health impacts.
