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EPA: We misjudged pressure in gold mine before spill
GOLD KING MINE, COLO. — As 3 million gallons of heavy-metal laden water made its way into Utah and headed west to Lake Powell, Environmental Protection Agency officials met at the mouth of the Gold King Mine Monday afternoon to discuss last week's breach into a tributary of the Animas River.
EPA on-scene coordinator Hayes Griswold explained to San Juan County, Colo., officials that an EPA team working at the mine on Wednesday underestimated how much pressure was hidden behind the debris that plugged the mine's entrance.
He said the team was not attempting to dislodge the plug, but was instead attempting to stick a pipe into the top of the mine.
The pipe would allow the team to safely pump liquid out of the mine for treatment, Griswold said.
"We were very careful," he said, adding that he has 28 years of mining experience.
However, the team removed too much material from the mine's roof, which caused the rupture, Griswold said.
As reported, mustard-colored water polluted with toxic waste poured from the mine and emptied into nearby Cement Creek, which drains into the Animas River.
The polluted waters were carried along the Animas River through Durango, Colo., and then flowed into the San Juan River at the confluence of the rivers in Farmington, N.M., on Saturday morning.
EPA officials announced Monday that public access to the Animas and San Juan rivers would continue to be closed until at least Aug. 17.
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez Monday afternoon declared a state of emergency in San Juan County. Her declaration followed similar ones on Sunday in La Plata County, Colo., and by the Navajo Nation.
"I had the chance to see the spill with my own eyes. It is absolutely devastating, and I am heartbroken by this environmental catastrophe," Martinez said Monday in a press release. "As I've said before, I am very concerned by EPA's lack of communication and inability to provide accurate information. One day, the spill is 1 million gallons. The next, it's 3 million. New Mexicans deserve answers we can rely on."
On Friday, the New Mexico Environment Department requested and received $500,000 in state emergency funds to support the response efforts. Martinez also said the multi-agency team will remain in northwest New Mexico for an indefinite period of time as the extent of the damage is evaluated.
Martinez directed administration officials to be prepared to take legal action — along with others affected by the spill — against the EPA, the release states.
Navajo Nation officials echoed that sentiment. President Russell Begaye told the Daily Times on Sunday that he had directed Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch to assemble a legal team to file a lawsuit against the EPA.
"They are impacting the livelihood of our people," he said.
The Navajo Nation, which is about the size of West Virginia and covers parts of New Mexico, Utah and Arizona, shut down water intake systems and stopped diverting water from the San Juan River, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Back in Colorado, Griswold was joined at the Gold King Mine Monday by Martin Hestmark, an assistant regional administrator for EPA Region 8.
Hestmark warned Griswold about allowing another such incident to occur and said they would need to discuss ways to contain the many mines that pockmark the mountains surrounding Silverton.
"One of the things the community will not tolerate is this happening again," Hestmark said.
Griswold said Monday that the mine was discharging anywhere between 200 to 700 gallons per minute of polluted water.
The fluctuation in discharge was caused by cave-ins within the mine, which may temporarily slow the flow rate, Griswold said.
The water flowed down the mountain pooling in one of several man-made ponds a few thousand feet below the mine's mouth where contractors treated it with lime, coagulants and caustic soda.
Griswold said he believed there were other mines in the area that posed a similar threat of rupturing.
GOLD KING MINE, COLO. — As 3 million gallons of heavy-metal laden water made its way into Utah and headed west to Lake Powell, Environmental Protection Agency officials met at the mouth of the Gold King Mine Monday afternoon to discuss last week's breach into a tributary of the Animas River.
EPA on-scene coordinator Hayes Griswold explained to San Juan County, Colo., officials that an EPA team working at the mine on Wednesday underestimated how much pressure was hidden behind the debris that plugged the mine's entrance.
He said the team was not attempting to dislodge the plug, but was instead attempting to stick a pipe into the top of the mine.
The pipe would allow the team to safely pump liquid out of the mine for treatment, Griswold said.
"We were very careful," he said, adding that he has 28 years of mining experience.
However, the team removed too much material from the mine's roof, which caused the rupture, Griswold said.
As reported, mustard-colored water polluted with toxic waste poured from the mine and emptied into nearby Cement Creek, which drains into the Animas River.
The polluted waters were carried along the Animas River through Durango, Colo., and then flowed into the San Juan River at the confluence of the rivers in Farmington, N.M., on Saturday morning.
EPA officials announced Monday that public access to the Animas and San Juan rivers would continue to be closed until at least Aug. 17.
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez Monday afternoon declared a state of emergency in San Juan County. Her declaration followed similar ones on Sunday in La Plata County, Colo., and by the Navajo Nation.
"I had the chance to see the spill with my own eyes. It is absolutely devastating, and I am heartbroken by this environmental catastrophe," Martinez said Monday in a press release. "As I've said before, I am very concerned by EPA's lack of communication and inability to provide accurate information. One day, the spill is 1 million gallons. The next, it's 3 million. New Mexicans deserve answers we can rely on."
On Friday, the New Mexico Environment Department requested and received $500,000 in state emergency funds to support the response efforts. Martinez also said the multi-agency team will remain in northwest New Mexico for an indefinite period of time as the extent of the damage is evaluated.
Martinez directed administration officials to be prepared to take legal action — along with others affected by the spill — against the EPA, the release states.
Navajo Nation officials echoed that sentiment. President Russell Begaye told the Daily Times on Sunday that he had directed Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch to assemble a legal team to file a lawsuit against the EPA.
"They are impacting the livelihood of our people," he said.
The Navajo Nation, which is about the size of West Virginia and covers parts of New Mexico, Utah and Arizona, shut down water intake systems and stopped diverting water from the San Juan River, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Back in Colorado, Griswold was joined at the Gold King Mine Monday by Martin Hestmark, an assistant regional administrator for EPA Region 8.
Hestmark warned Griswold about allowing another such incident to occur and said they would need to discuss ways to contain the many mines that pockmark the mountains surrounding Silverton.
"One of the things the community will not tolerate is this happening again," Hestmark said.
Griswold said Monday that the mine was discharging anywhere between 200 to 700 gallons per minute of polluted water.
The fluctuation in discharge was caused by cave-ins within the mine, which may temporarily slow the flow rate, Griswold said.
The water flowed down the mountain pooling in one of several man-made ponds a few thousand feet below the mine's mouth where contractors treated it with lime, coagulants and caustic soda.
Griswold said he believed there were other mines in the area that posed a similar threat of rupturing.
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