Tell EPA: Clean Up This Toxic Mine Mess

  • by: Susan V
  • recipient: EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy

Colorado's Animas River is flowing like thick muddy mustard after an accidental spill — a disastrous three-million gallon spill caused by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its contractors and its failure to take steps that would have encouraged owners of the Gold King Mine to be more proactive in preventing such a disaster.

According to CNN, first EPA caused the spill; then EPA underestimated the size of the spill, and now EPA claims conditions on the Animas in Colorado and the San Juan in New Mexico, "have improved".

But even EPA's disclosed levels of heavy metal contamination, including mercury and cadmium, are considered well above — as much as 10 times above — what is acceptable. These are levels that Max Costa, of New York University's School of Medicine, calls "shocking" and levels that are known to cause cancer, kidney disease, neurological damage and developmental problems in children.

At least the EPA admits it caused the problem when one of its teams sent to pump and treat contaminated water inside Durango's Gold King Mine instead caused the pollution to flow into the Animas. Had the agency declared the mine a Superfund site and held the mine's owner directly liable for its pollution as it should have, such a disaster may well have been avoided.

Worse, New Mexico's Department of Environment says the EPA didn't even notify state officials that the spill was headed its way or about the potential dangers. The Navajo Nation, for one, is determined to protect its people from the spill's dangers.

"This is sure an attack of who we are as Navajo people," said Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Crotty.

Demand accountability for this eco-disaster — Tell the EPA commit to complete clean-up of pollution caused by this accident.

We, the undersigned, believe it’s necessary to keep pressure on the EPA not to continue to downplay the damage from this spill or the need to clean it up properly and quickly.


Furthermore, the EPA’s role in causing the spill and what appear to be attempts to cover up the damage call for independent investigation and public and independent oversight


It seems disingenuous, even misleading, for EPA to make a statement, according to the CNN report, that the river had already begun to “return toward pre-event conditions" as early as the day after the spill occurred.


Not just the health of the area’s residents are at risk, perhaps for decades to come, due to the high mercury levels alone, but the fish are highly sensitive to the heavy metals found in the spill, including mercury which bioaccumulates via small fish eaten by larger ones.


Furthermore, given that EPA downplayed the size of the spill, then allegedly did not even warn New Mexico about the potential dangers of the heavy metal-contaminated water heading it’s way, it’s hard to believe that the high levels of mercury and other toxic contaminants spilled into the river aren’t worse than what EPA testing shows.


Clearly this disastrous “mess” as the Navajo Nation portrays it, calls for public scrutiny to ensure the EPA does a proper job of monitoring the effects of the spill and a complete clean-up.


Thanks for you time.

Update #18 years ago
Watchdog.org reports today that the EPA failed to turn over documents which Senator Lamar Smith said are essential to the House Science Committee’s investigation of EPA's Gold King Mine spill disaster.
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