Posted on 01/06/2017 4:41:58 PM PST by Olog-hai
Nearly 540 tons of metals mostly iron and aluminum contaminated the Animas River over nine hours during a massive wastewater spill from an abandoned Colorado gold mine, the Environmental Protection Agency said Friday in a new report on the 2015 blowout that turned rivers in three states a sickly yellow.
The total amount of metals entering the river system was comparable to levels during one or two days of high spring runoff, although the concentration of metals was significantly higher at the spills peak, the report said. [ ]
New Mexico Environment Secretary Butch Tongate accused the EPA of using the taxpayer-funded report to try to defend its actions. The state has sued the agency over the spill.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Please keep in mind that this was an intentional act to enable the EPA to preclude and development in the area.
This was warning was noted in an editorial published by a retired geologist the week PRIOR to the incident.
“...to preclude ANY development...”
Damn auto correct!
Total BS
LOCK THEM UP!
Those who did this should be held accountable. This is the problem we dont go after these criminal bastards and they do it all over again. There is no deterant, no sentence no problem
That means the river should look like this every spring?
Yeah, no big deal. Most mountain streams turn a thick diarrhea yellow during the days of spring. It’s normal as can be.
The EPA shill trying to convince us of that ought to be forced to drink it. The EPA needs to be reduced to about 10% of its current size.
How many EPA managers entered the private sector because of it?
10% is being very generous.
I wouldnt be nearly that generous.
Maybe not quite that bright, the mine derived waters have a lot of silt/clay fines in them that tend toward that color.
Look up iron mountain in CA some time, that place was responsible for about 25% of the total metals discharged to surface waters in the US and that water was utilized for drinking and irrigation downstream. It had enormous subterranean surface area (~ 650 miles of tunnels IIRC) and bacteria actually evolved in it to lower the pH to ridiculous levels to free up metals they fed on. You could put a shovel in the water there and come back in a couple hours to a stick.
Mostly iron and aluminum, eh? Nothing too worry about, then. Let’s see someone from EPA drink the water.
It was not a “spill.”
It was an intentional act ordered by the EPA. The EPA head honchos should be in prison.
Jail time, from the Administrator on down....
Agreed. No professional earth moving company would be so reckless. Unless they were ordered to be, and given legal cover for the “accident.” Non-Emergency way I’ll ever believe this wasn’t planned and ordered.
Yeah, that’s a load of bull.
I'd rather they be extradited to the Navajo Nation to face traditional tribal justice.
Find antpile. Add bureaucrat.
Instead of cursing it, you can always turn it off.
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