US Environmental Protection Agency crew accidentally releases water containing sediment and metals from a disused mine into Animas river tributary

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A team of US regulators investigating contamination at a Colorado goldmine accidentally released a million gallons (3.8 million liters) of orange-hued waste water containing sediment and metals into a local river system, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday.

The waste water had been held behind a barrier near the abandoned Gold King Mine, but was accidentally emptied into Cement creek, which flows into the Animas river in San Juan county, said an EPA spokesman, Rich Mylott.

Several workers were in the EPA crew that was using heavy equipment to pump and treat the waste water when the breach occurred, Mylott said, adding that none had been injured.

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Media images showed a trio of kayakers floating down a mustard-yellow stretch of the Animas river, near Durango.

“The primary environmental concern is the pulse of contaminated water containing sediment and metals flowing as an orange-colored discharge downstream,” Mylott said.

Federal and Colorado health officials warned water users downstream to turn off intakes and avoid water-borne recreational activity until the contaminated water passes.

The city of Durango said tap water was safe for its water utility customers, saying in a statement it stopped pumping water from the Animas and was instead drawing water from the unaffected Florida river.

The EPA said it would be sampling downstream locations to confirm that the release has passed and poses no additional concerns for aquatic life or water users over the coming days, though it expects a batch of results on Friday.

It also said it would assess damage near the mine and any residual releases of mine water.