Monday, August 10, 2015

EPA: Mine waste spill much larger than initially reported

The Environmental Protection Agency confirmed Sunday the contaminated mine waste that leaked from the Gold King Mine early Wednesday is much larger than initially reported. "The preliminary number that the stream gauge is showing is more in the range of three million gallons," said Shaun McGrath, the EPA's Region 8 Administrator. The EPA confirmed levels of arsenic collected around midnight Thursday at Baker's Bridge in Durango went from 2.5. Ug/l, which is undetected, to 264— more than 100 times the historic amount—around 9 a.m. Thursday. During the same time period in the same location, lead went from slightly detected to 5,720, or more than 3,800 times the amount detected before the plume passed into the area. However, EPA toxicologists noted lab results from the water samples show contaminants in the water are highest while the "plume" of sludge passes through and goes down significantly once the plume has passed. The EPA said the waste is still leaking from the mine. "It continues to discharge and it's at the volume of 500 gallons per minute," said McGrath. "The discharge is going into two settlement ponds that we created over the last couple days." McGrath said the agency is treating that water before it heads to Cement Creek. McKean offered advice to ranchers, worried about their livestock. "The plume location is relatively short lived in an area so if stock or wildlife accidentally or momentarily had ingested some of the water, we don't believe there will be any long term health effects with that exposure," explained McKean during a conference call with the media...more

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