DURANGO — Environmental Protection Agency officials facing sad, scared and angry residents whose river is being poisoned after botched federal work on an old mine apologized Friday, calling it a tragic disaster and revealing some of the contaminants in the water.
The soupy yellow-orange Animas River contains
arsenic, lead, cadmium, aluminum and copper — among other potentially toxic heavy metals — "at varying levels," the officials said in a packed public meeting.
But exactly how much remained uncertain Friday night, frustrating local authorities scrambling to protect public health and line up sufficient alternative water sources.
An acidic, yellowish discharge still was leaking out of the Gold King Mine portal, about 60 miles north of Durango (population 17,000), at an estimated rate of about 1,200 gallons a minute, state and federal officials said. EPA crews at the mine were trying to create a large hole to catch the contaminant-laced wastewater and try to clean it before it reaches streams and rivers.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by John
