Mine Waste Spill, Colorado (2015)

The Gold King Mine spill of August 2015, which took place near Silverton, Colorado, resulted in three million gallons of water polluted with toxic concentrations of heavy metals contaminating the Animas and San Juan Rivers and other waterways in three states for approximately two weeks. While investigating as part of an effort to remove and treat polluted water that had backed up and continued to leak from the abandoned mine over the years, a contracted team working on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accidentally caused a large rupture that affected the water supply in several areas and required costly cleanup efforts.

Though the spill caused no detectable impacts on wildlife over the following weeks, it resulted in several communities along the waterways declaring a state of emergency. The most significant impacts of the spill were experienced by the Navajo Nation, who suffered major agricultural losses due to diminished access to fresh water. The magnitude of the incident prompted congressional hearings to determine fault and analyze the EPA's response.

Date: The breach in the Gold King Mine occurred on August 5, 2015, causing millions of gallons of contaminated water to flow into nearby rivers.

Place: Gold King Mine, near Silverton, Colorado

Key Events

• August 5, 2015-EPA contractors accidentally cause a blowout of contaminated water while working at the entrance of the Gold King Mine.
• August 6, 2015-Authorities in impacted communities are notified.
• August 7-8, 2015-Spilled wastewater reaches the cities of Aztec and Farmington in New Mexico.
• August 9, 2015-Durango and La Plata County in Colorado declare a state of emergency, along with the Navajo Nation.
• August 10, 2015-Colorado and New Mexico declare a state of emergency.
• August 12, 2015-Utah declares a state of emergency.
• August 14, 2015-The Animas River is reopened for recreational use in La Plata County.
• August 15, 2015-New Mexico lifts restrictions on drinking water systems along both the Animas River and the San Juan River in San Juan County.
• August 18, 2015-US Department of the Interior launches investigation.
• August 19, 2015-EPA declares San Juan water has returned to pre-spill conditions in Navajo Nation.
• September 9, 2015-Congressional hearings commence.

Status

As of September 2, 2015, the EPA announced that both the Animas and San Juan Rivers were being maintained at pre-spill water quality and sediment levels. However, after touring affected areas in Navajo Nation days later, environmental activist Erin Brockovich accused the EPA of initially lying about the extent of the pollution. Thousands of acres of Navajo land had experienced a drought as the tribe awaited results from its own testing before reopening any irrigation systems. Many of the farmers, for whom the river is integral to both their economy and culture, have continued to express concern over the long-term effects of the polluted water source.

Congressional hearings about the spill began on September 9. The EPA was criticized by committee members for failing to take the proper precautions regarding the work on the mine to prevent a blowout and for crippling response time by failing to alert all downstream communities in a timely fashion as to the full extent of the damage.

As of October, the EPA was continuing to monitor the rivers at several sites, expressing concerns that storms could stir up toxic sediments in the future.

In-Depth Overview

Gold King Mine opened in the 1890s and had ceased operations by around 1923. Weak legislation meant that no inspections were conducted, no environmental standards were in place, and the companies involved were not required to clean up the site when the work was finished. It became one of many mines contributing to significant acid rock drainage into the Animas River, which caused a marked decline in fish populations over the years. Though the EPA had launched an initiative in 1980 that funds the cleanup of such hazardous waste sites (known as "Superfund" sites), Silverton residents had long declined EPA involvement in treating the Gold King Mine as a Superfund site out of fear that it would jeopardize their tourism sector.

After the EPA observed contaminated water flowing from the mine, the organization dispatched contractor Environmental Restoration LLC to assess and treat the site in August 2015. While using heavy machinery at the entrance of the mine, the team caused a breach that released three million gallons of highly pressurized water (which the EPA had originally estimated as one million) carrying lead, arsenic, zinc, iron, copper, and other heavy metals into Cement Creek and, subsequently, the Animas River. The river turned orange at the site, and the contamination plume soon crossed from Colorado into New Mexico and the San Juan River, into Navajo Nation territory. The EPA began a rapid effort to control the spill at the site with a series of catchment ponds.

After receiving notification, Durango, La Plata County, and the Navajo Nation declared a state of emergency, closing all drinking, agricultural, and recreational access to river water. Russell Begaye, president of the Navajo Nation, instructed the Navajo to refrain from signing any EPA settlement forms, organizing a larger legal response on behalf of the Navajo Nation and calling for independent testing of the water by Navajo Nation officials. Within days, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah had each declared states of emergencies. While the EPA organized trucks of fresh water to be delivered to the Navajo Nation, tribe officials rejected the water upon claims that it was dirty and contaminated with fracking by-products.

Despite New Mexico reopening both the Animas and San Juan Rivers for drinking in San Juan County on August 15 and the EPA announcing that the San Juan River had returned to pre-spill quality in the Navajo Nation by August 19, the Navajo had already suffered drought conditions without the use of their irrigation wells, causing severe agricultural losses, and still advised against using the water for irrigation or livestock. Although the discharge of water from the mine also began diminishing, the concern over the safety of the water for future generations also led the Shiprock chapter of the Navajo Nation to vote against reopening irrigation canals for at least one year.

By the end of August, Silverton and San Juan County were calling for federal disaster funds to assist in the cleanup process for other hazardous mines in the area for the first time in decades.

Key Figures

Russell Begaye: President of the Navajo Nation.

Gina McCarthy: EPA administrator who represented the organization in congressional hearings related to the Gold King Mine spill.

Bibliography

Frosch, D. (2015, August 10). Colorado, New Mexico free up state funds for gold-mine spill. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/colorado-pledges-funds-to-help-clean-up-gold-mines-sludge-spill-1439237643

Kaplan, S. (2015, August 10). What the EPA was doing when it sent yellow sludge spilling into a Colorado creek. Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/08/10/what-the-epa-was-doing-when-it-sent-yellow-sludge-spilling-into-a-colorado-creek/

Laylin, T. (2015, August 26). Gold King Mine spill: Navajo Nation farmers prohibit Animas River access. Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/26/gold-king-mine-spill-navajo-nation-farmers-animas-river-water

Paul, J. (2015, August 17). Animas River spill: Navajo Nation angry at EPA. Denver Post. Retrieved from http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci%5F28651849/navajo-nation-angry-at-epa

Turkewitz, J. (2015, August 10). Environmental agency uncorks its own toxic water spill at Colorado mine. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/us/durango-colorado-mine-spill-environmental-protection-agency.html