F R O M T H E H E A D L I N E S


USGS scientist collecting water samples along the Animas River in Farmington, NM on Aug. 8, 2015.


Reclamation Leads Effort to Investigate Colorado Mine Spill


Preventing future mine spill disasters such as the one that plagued Colorado’s Animas River Aug. 5 will be tasked to the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the Interior Department announced Aug. 20 “Te Bureau of Reclamation is


well-suited to head up this independent technical review on behalf of Interior,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior Michael L. Connor, in a state- ment. “Reclamation is already active in the watershed and understands the issues. Reclamation is also credited with fast action in response to the spill by doubling water releases from the Navajo Dam on the San Juan River to dilute the spill as it moved its way down the river system.”


An accidental release from the Gold


King Mine by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Aug. 5 sent millions of gallons of contaminated mine waste into Cement Creek, a tributary of the Animas River in southwest Colorado. Workers accidentally destroyed the dam holding back a pond containing waste- water and tailings, sending a plume of water tainted with cadmium, lead and arsenic. Te spill affected waterways used


by people in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and the Navajo Nation. An Aug. 10 executive order issued


by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper allocated $500,000 to help pay for the response and technical assessments. After the spill, congressional repre-


sentatives from Colorado and New Mexico urged the federal government to


work with state, tribal, and local officials to develop mitigation and emergency response plans for potential future blow- outs from abandoned mine sites. Mining in the western United States has contaminated stream reaches in the headwaters of more than 40 percent of the watersheds in the West, according to EPA. It’s estimated that discharges from


Te Aug. 5, 2015, accidental release from Gold King Mine by EPA sent millions of gallons of contaminated water into Cement Creek, a tributary to the Animas River.


10 • Colorado River Project • River Report • Summer 2015


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