Animas River, Colorado - HUGE Environmental Disaster!!!

[jcazgoldchaser]

If you frequent the waters of the Animas, an EPA accident has released 1 million gallons of mining waste into the waterway.
Animas River fouled by 1 million gallons of contaminated mine water - The Denver Post

The La Plata County Sheriff's Office has closed the river from the San Juan County line – including Durango – to New Mexico. Authorities say they will re-evaluate the closure once the EPA tests are confirmed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/08/us/wastewater-spill-in-colorado-turns-a-river-yellow.html?_r=0
The EPA spilled 1 million gallons of waste water - Business Insider

Be safe out there!!

 

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[goldenIrishman]

Poncho,

Sorry but I have to politely disagree with you on getting rid of them. They have done a great job in the past but like any other government agency, they've grown out of control. People with other agendas have gained control of the higher levels and are using it to further their own goals. How long do you think it would take the air in Los Angeles to get back to the way it was before they came along? Companies are going to do what ever is most profitable for them and if that mean messing up the air and water they will unless we have groups like the EPA around to keep an eye on them.

This does not mean that there isn't room for improvement because there is. Like most government agencies, they've grabbed onto every thing they could to increase their power, even when it's in areas that they have no mandate over. It's this kind of abuse of power that we need to get rid of, NOT the entire EPA.

Over the years, miners have become more environmentally aware and in most cases are good stewards of the lands and waters. Your typical small scale miner has a vested interest in keeping their operations clean and eco-friendly. Because of all the bad press that has been generated by the environmental groups against mining, we have to prove that we are not the rapers of the land that they make us out to be. Many of the old operations were not run in such a way as to be good for the environment and it's this legacy that those of us that mine today have to disprove as being "business as usual".

 

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[Mad Machinist]

golden,

That's where I disagree with you. In pretty much all cases, the State Department of Environmental Quality do a much better job of taking care of business as they are more in tune with the local issues than the feds. The feds try and use a "one size fit all" approach resulting in unnecessary costs and delays that would not have happened with the State in control.

 

[Ponchosportal]

Yeah the states should do it with their mining engineers and their better/more experienced staff and money who can meet with the locals and determine what they want to do with their mines and their mining waste. Locals want to leave it there where it is anyway (who cares). There is no reason the rest of us should have to pay for Colorado's problems anyway (if we don't live there). Each state should have to pay for their own problems!

 

[KevinInColorado]

Yeah the states should do it with their mining engineers and their better/more experienced staff and money who can meet with the locals and determine what they want to do with their mines and their mining waste. Locals want to leave it there where it is anyway (who cares). There is no reason the rest of us should have to pay for Colorado's problems anyway (if we don't live there). Each state should have to pay for their own problems!

If we really ran the govt that way, there would be starvation and economic depression in some states. To your example, Colorado only gets back 64 cents for every dollar we pay the Feds while some places get back much more than they pay (think Mississippi).
Reference: http://wallethub.com/edu/states-most-least-dependent-on-the-federal-government/2700/

...anyway, I think this thread is going political. Let's stay on the topic of mining shall we? (He says hypocritically)

 

[mytimetoshine]

They will just blame it on miners... they are a joke just like the rafters that give me dirty looks. Even though they leave there trash all over the river.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Politics directly related to treasure hunting is allowed, in this case politics related to gold prospecting, political statements not directly related are not and are deleted....


Please keep political comments on topic....

 

[Peyton Manning]

sounds to me like a few people need to be promoted to a place where they can do no harm

 

[Ponchosportal]

Hopefully this will move some gold around/down the creek and we can all get rich!

 

[goldenIrishman]

I can see your point Mad, but look at it this way... Many states including California have some major money problems. They don't have enough funds to run basic programs as it is and to expect them to shoulder the burden of even more programs is not realistic. Having each state do all of the research is a duplication of effort in many cases. This costs all of us even more money in taxes.

I agree that there is need of major changes on all levels and that the states should have more say in what happens within their borders, but a single federal agency that can do research that will benefit all of the states is pretty much a must. The federal branch should only do research and the states should use that data as needed IMHO.

 

[Ponchosportal]

I can see your point Mad, but look at it this way... Many states including California have some major money problems. They don't have enough funds to run basic programs as it is and to expect them to shoulder the burden of even more programs is not realistic. Having each state do all of the research is a duplication of effort in many cases. This costs all of us even more money in taxes.

I agree that there is need of major changes on all levels and that the states should have more say in what happens within their borders, but a single federal agency that can do research that will benefit all of the states is pretty much a must. The federal branch should only do research and the states should use that data as needed IMHO.

Politics associated with treasure hunting above.

Problem solved. There is more than one way to skin the cat!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Politics associated with treasure hunting above?

Yes it fits.

 

[Mad Machinist]

I can see your point Mad, but look at it this way... Many states including California have some major money problems. They don't have enough funds to run basic programs as it is and to expect them to shoulder the burden of even more programs is not realistic. Having each state do all of the research is a duplication of effort in many cases. This costs all of us even more money in taxes.

I agree that there is need of major changes on all levels and that the states should have more say in what happens within their borders, but a single federal agency that can do research that will benefit all of the states is pretty much a must. The federal branch should only do research and the states should use that data as needed IMHO.

I might be able to go with the EPA doing research only and the States deciding what to do with it. As long as the EPA has no real power to shove things down people's throats or up their rear ends as the case may be.

And as far as Cali goes, they made the mess they are in. Others and I should not have to suffer for what they did. I've said it before and I'll say it again, at this point the best thing that could happen in Cali is for the San Andreas to let go and drop everything west of it straight into the ocean. If it goes all the way north to Canada, even better.

For a State that is so rich in minerals to try and destroy an entire industry that built the State is beyond ludicrous. I can understand and even support common sense regulation like "if you make a mess you are responsible to clean it up, period". No excuses. But to base regulation on the aftermath of what was done 100+ years ago shows a compete lack of both visions and fear of what could actually be done with the technology we have today. Of course if we were allowed to apply technology, then there would be nothing for certain people to complain about.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Politics associated with treasure hunting above.

Problem solved. There is more than one way to skin the cat!

Yeah, there is more than one way to skin a cat. And if the EPA was more worried about taking care of the problems it claims are destroying the environment, we wouldn't have any problems.

Here is an answer to mine drainage. Its a variation of what is used to treat acid mine drainage back East. And this way the "toxic heavy metals" are recovered for treatment or processing for industry as the case may be instead of the area becoming another Superfund site.

If want more info. look up tailings thickener operation. This is what happens when miners, who know what they are doing, are included in the equation. Problems get solved in a profitable way.

 

[Ponchosportal]

Yeah, there is more than one way to skin a cat. And if the EPA was more worried about taking care of the problems it claims are destroying the environment, we wouldn't have any problems.

Here is an answer to mine drainage. Its a variation of what is used to treat acid mine drainage back East. And this way the "toxic heavy metals" are recovered for treatment or processing for industry as the case may be instead of the area becoming another Superfund site.

If want more info. look up tailings thickener operation. This is what happens when miners, who know what they are doing, are included in the equation. Problems get solved in a profitable way.

I don't understand why you would quote my comment above as it has nothing to do with your response. Please explain the relationship.

Thanks in advance,
Poncho

 

[Mad Machinist]

Sorry forgot to edit your comment. That was about the more than one way to skin a cat. Instead of trying to spend millions to stop the drainage or treat in an ineffective way, apply some out of the box thinking and USE the drainage to do the mining for you.

 

[Tnmountains]

The city of Durango, Colo., and La Plata County, Colo., declared a state of emergency Sunday after the Environmental Protection Agency took responsibility for breaching a debris dam near a Colorado mine, releasing water contaminated with heavy metals into a river that flows through the region.
La Plata County Manager Joe Kerby said the decision stemmed from the "serious nature of the incident."
Meanwhile, the Navajo Nation is considering suing the EPA. Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye told the Farmington, N.M., Daily Times 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.
Begaye said he was disappointed with the EPA's lack of information and disclosure about the types of toxic metals that were discharged into the Animas and San Juan rivers.
Begaye was also expected to declare a state of emergency in response to spill. He confirmed late Saturday that the plume containing toxic metals released from a mine near Silverton, Colo., was traveling through the reservation.
Navajo Nation Council Speaker LoRenzo Bates told the Daily Times that residents were concerned about drinking water safety, river access, water for livestock and crops, and the possibility of compensation for failed crops. With irrigation canals shut off, many farmers are concerned about their next step, Bates said.
"If these farmers don't get water in the next week, they'll lose their crops," he said.
The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) warned residents to stay away from the river and to refrain from using its water for livestock and other household needs. But it said communities along the San Juan River get their drinking water from the city of Farmington, N.M., so it is safe for consumption.
Mustard-colored water flowed this week into Cement Creek, a tributary that runs through Silverton and into the Animas River. In New Mexico, the plume of pollution entered Aztec early Saturday morning and Farmington later that morning. Officials said they expected it to reach the Utah border on Monday and Lake Powell, in Arizona, late Wednesday.
State leaders in New Mexico criticized EPA's response to the spill. "There's a lot of questions that our constituents have, and so many communities have as well, that we need to get rapid responses to," said U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján.
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez said the state's first notification of the spill came from Southern Ute Tribe officials. "It's completely irresponsible for the EPA not to have informed New Mexico immediately," she said after flying over the affected rivers.
State Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn said the EPA did not notify his department of the spill until almost 24 hours after they'd caused it. He said the agency's initial response to the disaster was "cavalier and irresponsible."
EPA regional administrator Shaun McGrath said the agency was "busting our tails" to provide a thorough lab analysis of the contaminants, which include lead and arsenic. The EPA said it had finished building two containment ponds to treat the yellow sludge.
About 1 million gallons of wastewater began spilling into the Animas River on Wednesday. The mine has been inactive since 1923.
Another EPA regional administrator, Jared Blumenfeld, said the plume begin flowing through the Navajo Nation on Saturday. He said the EPA has been in contact with Begaye and Donald Benn, executive director of the Navajo Nation EPA. He said samples continue to be collected from the San Juan, and said two agency staff members were working with the tribe.

 

[Nitric]

The picture from TNmountains post looks like a pond we played in as kids! No,fish,turtles, other than A few water bugs nothing lived in it. It was leaching out of the old coal mines. A few places around PA,WV,And OH that look like that.That I believe was a type of agea from the ground being opened or something...

I can't believe the agency that is supposed to over see other projects. Did something like this with no planning! No, backup plan? I worked around gas and oil transmission and compressor stations, we had Dikes,absorbent matting, emergency numbers, ansul powder etc... Just to do the smallest jobs. For an Gov. agency to not have any type of planning is crazy! Especially for something this size.
I know that was already said! I just wanted to type something!

 

[IMPDLN]

Good research Clay. I saw another closer picture of those settling ponds, they look like kiddy pools compared to the amount fluid they had to deal with.

It baffles me how in this day and age, with current technology and knowing what has happened in the past at other locations, that this sort of disaster still happens. Fat lot of good it does to spend millions on environmental impact studies. I feel sorry for everything, human to insect that will be affected by this mess. Especially since all the EPA appears to be doing is testing the water. This mess will have impact on 5 western states for some time to come, and the EPA's attitude about the whole thing quite frankly sucks. I don't believe for a minute that they could be so ignorant that they don't already know exactly what that fluid is carrying down stream for hundreds of miles. They know what's in it, and have no idea what to do about this huge screw up.

It reminds me of a study I read some years ago about MTBE. That fine additive our government uses to "oxygenate" fuel. It just happens to be one of the nastiest synthetic chemicals man has ever created. All the BS about second hand smoke giving people cancer is likely just a smoke screen to cover up the fact that MTBE is the likely cause of many seemingly healthy people and animals getting various types of cancer. The scientist that created this crap told our government it was too nasty for any use, yet they keep making and using this stuff. It only takes about 1 cup of MTBE to contaminate something like 100,000 gallons of water, and there is no known way to treat that water once contaminated. Also it doesn't burn with your fuel. It just enters the atmosphere as vapor.

This is just an example of what our government has become. They just continue to tell us lies. You think our air is clean because places like L.A. don't have the nasty brown smog anything like what they had back in the 60's. However all our government has succeeded in doing is making most of the pollution invisible.

In this case they had to make this project a superfund project because of how nasty this liquid is. Now that is spilling all over the west.........oh, don't worry. It's ok we are testing the water. Just don't touch it, or drink it, or use it for anything.

WHAT A FRICKIN' JOKE!!!!!!!!!!! Dennis

 

[Hoser John]

Spill volume tripled estimates now and EPA said on tv last night that they didn't know if it was toxic. Son and I eating dinner went apesquat as EXACT same line of bs here during the Cantara Spill --golly gee wiz we just don't know BUT we climbed fences , stole trash and viola MSDS sheets said LYERS. Provide many documents to Senator Johannsen who blew open the whole farce wide open as Cali padded the bill by millions whilst I was busted 3 times saving eagles with eaglets by putting in plastic pools to catch creek water for critters to safely drink and fish for the eagles/hawks. "By dawns early light there was not a single living thing in sight"Many pics/story in the San Jose Mercury News.....REDUX sic sic sic-John

 

[Clay Diggins]

It's not a Superfund site. The locals and the Governor have resisted that designation. Mineral and Concrete creeks were acidic drainages long before there was mining.

I'm guessing the EPA would stoop pretty low to get it on the funding list. Who knew it would be that low?

It's all about the money.

Heavy Pans