Durango is livid with the EPA, responsible for spilling a million gallons of heavy metal-contaminated wastewater into the Animas River from an abandoned mine north of Silverton, Colorado.
The disgustingly yellow waters contain zinc, iron, cadmium, lead, arsenic, copper plus other undisclosed heavy metals. Assumed as tailings from past mining operations rather than salts, the toxic waste will eventually settle out to the bottom of downstream areas including Lake Powell, killing whatever lives there as well as en route.
Tasked with cleaning up Gold King mine, the EPA breached a berm causing the toxic water to flow into the Animas River. Silverton, Colorado, an old mining town, and Durango, its neighbor fifty miles south, are full of vacationers anxious to enjoy the usually cool crystal mountain waters and river recreation on the Animas. But, both towns are suffering from visitors turning away from the disgusting waters flowing through their town centers. The Animas also supplies water to ranches and municipalities on its dam-less way downstream to Lake Powell.
Besides toxifying supplies of potable water, the EPA suffers the wrath of towns people depending on summer business from river recreation. Rafting, kayaking, swimming, and fishing have been banned. The fish are dead, killed by the toxic waters. The EPA has proven itself incompetent if not oblivious to its inept operations. Have we ever seen government do anything right?
I know, I was there in Durango on Thursday, August 6, to see just how incredibly yellow the Animas was as it flowed through the vacation destination of the beautiful San Juan Mountains. This morning, it was a putrid green. This evening, now, it's clearing a little, but the river is off limits to everyone, the river rafters have shut down and the town full of vacationers are not enjoying the river sports they came for. Durango businesses is hurting.
The EPA should be sent to the dustbin of history. It's doing everything BUT saving the environment. Durango resident, Susan Troen, suspected that EPA might get off without so much as a hand slap. "No doubt they'll blame it on the local contractor who operated the excavating equipment. He's probably out of town by now." The local contractor has not been identified. It would not be unlike the EPA to target a local scapegoat to take the heat for its botched job.
Downstream users were instructed to turn off their intake valves. One of those users is the new Lake Nighthorse, the legacy of Ben Nighthorse Cambell, former Colorado Congressman and Senator.
The Lake is sourced by water pumped from the Animas to the higher elevation of the Lake. As of this writing, the Lake appeared to have heeded the pumping warning. On observation, no yellow waters appear to have maligned the blue mountain waters of Lake Nighthorse.
The EPA spokesman for disaster on the Animas, David Ostrander, the EPA’s head of emergency management had this to say:
This is a huge tragedy, and it’s hard being on the other side of this, in terms of being the one who caused this incident. We usually respond to emergencies, we don’t cause them.
Folks in the Four Corners region think Ostrander articulated his career ending statement. The rest of us are thinking it's time to get rid of the EPA, an idea that Newt Gingrich seeded nearly four years ago.
