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FARMINGTON, N.M. — Officials from the Environmental Protection
Agency said the Gold King Mine's discharge of an estimated 3
million gallons of contaminated water into the Animas River
raises the possibility of long-term damage from the toxic metals
falling out of suspension as the plume slowly moved along the
river.

"Sediment does settle," said EPA Region 8 administrator Shaun
McGrath. "It settles down to the bottom of the river bed."

McGrath said future runoff from storms will kick that toxic
sediment back into the water, which means there will need to be
long-term monitoring.

He added that "the Animas River has historically been polluted
by acid mine drainage."

Mustard-colored water loaded with heavy metals, including
arsenic, lead, copper, aluminum and cadmium, began rushing out
of the Gold King Mine in southern Colorado on Wednesday after an
EPA team disturbed a dam of loose rock lodged in the mine.

The deluge of polluted water poured into Cement Creek and
continued into the Animas River. The plume of pollution, clearly
visible from the air and estimated to be more than 80 miles long
at one point, reached Farmington, New Mexico on Saturday morning.

The plume of toxic waste passed through San Juan County in New
Mexico's northwest corner on Saturday, heading west.

Contractors in Silverton, Colo. have built three plastic-lined
storage ponds to hold back millions of gallons of tainted
wastewater in an effort to prevent the nearby Animas River from
again turning orange with pollution.

As of Monday morning, two of the swimming-pool-sized ponds had
filled with the tainted water, and the third was filling fast.
Contractors were hauling in additional drainage pipe and were
staging heavy equipment in anticipation of further emergency
repairs.

The "slug" of pollution, which EPA officials say contains metals
and is about as acidic as black coffee, is headed toward Lake
Powell.

Silverton is surrounded by abandoned mines, and the EPA was
checking on one of the worst ones, the Gold King, when the
breech occurred. Area residents are furious that the federal
agency charged with fighting pollution accidentally caused it.

The Animas has largely returned to running clear below Silverton
and into Durango, although some of the orange sediment remains
in some puddles and along the shore.

Officials advise residents with wells in the floodplains of the
Animas River and the San Juan River downstream of the confluence
of the two rivers to have their water tested before using it for
cooking, drinking or bathing.

County Executive Officer Kim Carpenter voiced frustration about
the delay in getting information about the chemicals in the
water. The data, he said, will "give us a big picture of what we
are going to deal with and the long-term effects we will have to
deal with."

On Sunday evening, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye and
Vice President Jonathan Nez attended a public meeting in
Durango, Colo., after touring the Gold King Mine site.

Begaye told attendees his office will be aggressive in "putting
(the EPA's) feet to the fire."

Nez said he felt like crying when he saw the mustard-yellow
water stain in the river.

"Water in our region is very important," he said. "It doesn't
matter if you are Navajo, if you are Hispanic, if you are Anglo.
We are all part of this river basin. Now, we are looking upon
the EPA with frustration."

Nez said the pollution will affect farming, drinking water and
livestock on the Navajo Nation.

"A lot of livestock utilize the water," he said. "What are we
supposed to do? Stand guard 24 hours to keep our livestock from
drinking the water?"

Shiprock Chapter President Duane "Chilli" Yazzie expressed
concern about tribal farmers and access to irrigation water.

"We're resigned to the fact that we will not get any irrigation
water through our systems for the rest of the season," Yazzie
said. "We're just accepting the fact that we have to face losing
our crops. That is totally devastating to many, many families.
It's very heartbreaking."

On Sunday morning, people walking the trails at Farmington's
Berg Park echoed those sentiments, saying the contamination of
the water was sad and disappointing.

Farmington resident Elton Daniels said he felt hopeless when he
looked at the river after seeing photographs of it.

"I think it's going to have a damaging effect on the water we
use," he said.

Officials have set up several potable water stations throughout
the county for residents and RV and livestock owners to use.

Deborah McKean, chief of the Region 8 Toxicology and Human
Health and Risk Assessment, said Sunday the EPA is in
consultation with several other agencies, including the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, to determine when the river
will again be safe for recreation.

She could not say when that decision will come.

Daniel Silva, a 37-year-old resident and local fisherman who
attended the forum, accused EPA officials of "terrorism" for
their part in causing the spill.

McGrath said such an accusation was "really not appropriate."

"We are not in the business of creating these types of messes,"
McGrath said. "We are used to cleaning up these types of messes."

Contributing: Steve Garrison, The (Farmington, N.M.) Daily Times
and Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/08/10/navajo- nation-epa-mine-wastewater-spill/31399517/

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