Animas River

Another mining spill on the Animas River

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Wastewater from a mining site in southwestern Colorado spilled into the Animas River on Wednesday. The EPA alerted New Mexico and Colorado state officials to the spill later that day. The EPA is still trying to determine the extent of the spill, which occurred at the Silver Wing Mine, located north of Silverton, Colorado. The discharges have discolored the river, the EPA said. The Animas River snakes through southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico.

Environment

States set plans for declining Colorado River flows

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This week, Congress passed a bill directing the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior to implement an agreement worked out by states that rely on water from the Colorado River. The Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Authorization Act easily passed both chambers and now awaits a signature from the president. The plan acknowledges that flows of the Colorado River—which supplies drinking water to 40 million people and irrigates 5.5 million acres—are declining. And it represents efforts by the states, cities, water districts, tribes and farmers to make changes that will keep two important reservoirs from dropping too low. Had they not come to an agreement, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation would have imposed restrictions on water use.

Environmental Project

NM Environment Review: River flows, Gila money and what’s coming next week

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•The Durango Herald reported that in Durango last week, the Animas River registered its lowest levels in more than 100 years of records. On Sept. 26, the river through the southwestern Colorado town dropped below 100 cubic feet per second. Jonathan Thompson wrote about it on his website, too. •And by the time the Animas crosses into New Mexico, it’s in even worse shape. As of Wednesday, it was running at less than ten cfs.

Animas River

Monsoon rains open some forests, but aren’t enough for the state’s rivers

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Afternoon storms have started spreading across the state, dropping rain, and even causing flooding in some places. After being closed for more than a month, the Santa Fe National Forest opened, with fire restrictions, on Monday morning. Several days of rain, plus higher humidity has forest officials optimistic about monsoon season and the drought outlook. The Carson and Cibola national forests will likely re-open soon, too. Editor’s Note: This story was originally published July 8, but a website error deleted the story.

Environment

Gold King Mine meeting scheduled for Monday

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The New Mexico Gold King Mine Spill Citizens’ Advisory Committee will meet Monday evening in Farmington. According to the New Mexico Environment Department, the committee includes 11 citizen volunteers from northern New Mexico, including the Navajo Nation, and works with New Mexico’s Long-Term Impact Review Team to monitor and understand the long-term impacts of the 2015 Gold King Mine accident. While conducting exploratory cleanup work of an abandoned mine in southwestern Colorado, federal contractors hired by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency caused 3 million gallons of wastewater to spill from the Gold King Mine into the Animas River. That river, which flows into the San Juan River in northwestern New Mexico, was contaminated with lead, arsenic and cadmium. The mine, like about 400 others in the area, was owned by a private company before being abandoned.

Animas River

Pruitt says he’ll re-evaluate Gold King Mine claims EPA had rejected

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The Denver Post reported Friday that Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt says he will re-evaluate the damage claims the agency had previously rejected from the Gold King Mine spill in August 2015. The New Mexico Office of the Attorney General, which was among those that had sought damages, has not heard from the agency, however. “We have confirmed that the EPA is not asking for resubmittals from those entities who have sued,” spokesman James Hallinan wrote in an email. “Thus, we did not receive the letter.” While conducting exploratory cleanup work of an abandoned mine in southwestern Colorado, federal contractors caused 3 million gallons of wastewater to spill from the Gold King Mine into the Animas River.

Environment

Supreme Court denies NM’s Gold King Mine petition against Colorado

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The U.S. Supreme Court denied New Mexico’s petition to hold Colorado responsible for the 2015 Gold King Mine spill Monday, on the court’s last day in session this term. While conducting exploratory cleanup work of an abandoned mine in southwestern Colorado, federal contractors caused 3 million gallons of wastewater to spill from the Gold King Mine. The mine, like hundreds of others in the area, was owned by a private company before being abandoned. The Supreme Court decision to not hear the case was the latest blow to New Mexico’s attempts to hold someone responsible for the spill into the Animas River, which flows into the San Juan River. Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), whose contractors caused the breach, said that under the Federal Tort Claims Act it was not legally able to pay the claims of economic damages caused by the 2015 spill.

Animas River

New Mexico sues Colorado over toxic mine spill

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The state of New Mexico announced a lawsuit against the state of Colorado over the Animas River spill that resulted in millions of gallons of contaminated water to flow down the river into the state’s Four Corners area. This is the second lawsuit by the state over the spill. Previously, the state announced a lawsuit against the federal government. At issue is the blowout of the Gold King Mine, where a team working for the federal Environmental Protection Agency caused the release of the toxic water from an abandoned mine near Silverton, CO. The mine is one of many abandoned mines dating back decades.

News

State sues feds over Animas River spill

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The state of New Mexico is seeking over $100 million in a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency for a mine blowout that led to millions of gallons of orangeish sludge flowing down the Animas River in the Four Corners area of the state. The blowout took place when a contractor with the EPA caused a blowout of an abandoned mine. The mistake by an EPA contractor caused 3 million gallons of toxic waste that had been gathering in the mine for years to flow down the Animas River, into New Mexico then to Utah. The Albuquerque Journal reported on the lawsuit, which has been pending for some time, seeks more than $136 million, most of which for lost economic activity in the state. The Navajo Nation also said after the spill they are readying a lawsuit against the federal government.

Quick Reads

State says it plans to sue EPA over mine spill

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The state Environment Department announced on Thursday that it intends to sue the Environmental Protection Agency and others over the Gold King Mine spill that turned the Animas River into a sickly yellow-orange, pollution-filled mess for days. A contractor, Environmental Restoration, that was working under the EPA caused the blowout in the the mine in southwestern Colorado last August. In all, three million gallons of polluted water was released from the well, which traveled down the Animas River into New Mexico and Utah. The letter of intent to sue names the EPA, the federal Bureau of Land Management, the state of Colorado, Environmental Restoration LLC, San Juan Corporation, Todd Hennis, Sunnyside Gold, Inc. and the Kinross Gold Corporation. The other companies named are the companies that owned the mine, and Hennis is the CEO of San Juan Corporation.