Turkewitz, J. (2015, AUG 11 ). E.P.A. treating toxic water from abandoned Colorado mine after accident: New York Times. Retrieved august 20, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/12/us/epa-treating-toxic-water-from-abandoned-colorado-mine-after-accident.html?_r=0
Toxic water is still spilling at a rate of 500 to 700 gallons a minute after the EPA accidently breached an abandoned mine that had periodically released toxic water into the nearby animas river. While trying to stop the occasional leak workers accidently triggered a flood of toxic water high in heavy metals such as lead and arsenic and it has since flowed south into New Mexico and Colorado New Mexico and the Navaho nation have declared states of emergency.
The massive spill occurred after EPA workers accidently breached a store of chemical water and has immediate and severe effects on the local wildlife and on the drinking water of residents of Colorado New Mexico and the Navaho Nation. The animas and San Juan rivers were closed for drinking, irrigation, fishing and other activities and ‘at least seven public water systems that typically take water from these rivers’ have stopped doing so. The heavy metals in the rivers have a devastating effect on wildlife and will create a myriad of environmental issues going forth.
Wow this article presents a very serious problem. Because drinking water is so vital to sustaining life, action must be taken to prevent things like this happening in the future. My question is how do they plan to clean something like this up?
It’s amazing that an accident could cause such a traumatic result. Is there any way to help the drinking water now that it has all of the toxic water in it?