DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — The latest in the Colorado mine spill (all times local):
11:03 a.m.
Colorado and federal officials are at odds over whether it’s safe to reopen the Animas River to recreation after 3 million gallons of mine waste spilled and turned the water orangey-yellow.
The shocking color seen last week is gone, and Colorado says its tests show the concentration of metals in the water, including arsenic and lead, are decreasing. Gov. John Hickenlooper wants the river reopened to boating and fishing, both important to the region’s economy.
The Durango Herald newspaper (http://bit.ly/1UD32FF ) reports that local EPA administrator Shaun McGrath told Hickenlooper during a meeting to stop making comments about the health of the river.
McGrath says more data are needed to know whether the river is back to baseline conditions. That angered Hickenlooper, who, echoing others, said the EPA has been too slow in responding to the disaster overall.
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10:12 a.m.
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says she still has concerns about the federal government’s response to the spill of millions of gallons of wastewater from a mine in southwestern Colorado.
The breach last week at the Gold King Mine near Silverton sent a flood of yellow, metal-laden water coursing into the Animas and San Juan rivers. The plume has since passed through parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and the Navajo Nation.
Martinez says EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy’s visit Wednesday will be important, so McCarthy can see firsthand the potentially devastating effects the spill can have on downstream communities.
Martinez’s office says the governor spoke with McCarthy on Tuesday evening.
The New Mexico Environment Department has been conducting its own sampling along the river and results are expected Wednesday.
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9:58 a.m.
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency will meet with state, local and tribal officials and community members when she visits Colorado on Wednesday to see the impact of a 3 million-gallon mine waste spill.
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy also plans to visit Farmington, New Mexico, on Thursday.
She says the agency takes full responsibility after an EPA-led crew accidentally released the wastewater laced with heavy metals, including lead and arsenic.
The pollution turned part of the Animas River in Colorado mustardy yellow last week. It washed down the river and is believed to have passed into Utah, but it’s difficult to detect because it’s been diluted.
The EPA has said the flows are moving too fast for the contaminants to pose an immediate health threat and that the heavy metals will likely be diluted over time so they don’t pose a longer-term threat.
However, local and tribal officials are concerned about river sediment being contaminated and the potential long-term effects.
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7:35 a.m.
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency plans to visit Colorado and New Mexico sometime Wednesday to see the impact of a 3 million gallon mine waste spill triggered during an agency-led cleanup.
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy says the spill that turned part of the Animas River in Colorado a shade of mustardy yellow last week “pains me to no end” and her department takes full responsibility.
The pollution washed down the river and is believed to have passed into Utah but it’s difficult to detect because it has been diluted and no longer has the bright color.
The EPA has said the current flows are too fast for the contaminants to pose an immediate health threat, and that the heavy metals will likely be diluted over time so they don’t pose a longer-term threat, either.
