The Gold King Mine was abandoned in 1923. Prior to the spill, the Upper Animas water basin had already become devoid of fish, because of the adverse environmental impacts of regional mines such as Gold King, when contaminants entered the water system.
What happened to the Gold King Mine?
The Gold King Mine spill occurred at the Gold King Mine—an abandoned mine near Silverton, Colorado—in August 2015. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) personnel and a company under EPA contract triggered the release of toxic wastewater in an attempt to remove such wastewater from the mine.
Who owned the Gold King Mine?
Todd Hennis
Todd Hennis, owner of the Gold King Mine, is not happy about the proposed Superfund cleanup around Silverton, saying the suggestion to plug more mines only redistributes potentially toxic water and doesn’t solve the problem.
How did they clean the Gold King Mine Spill?
The EPA is currently compiling a cleanup plan for each mine. The agency also built a temporary water treatment plant near the Gold King. It removes arsenic, lead, and other heavy metals from mine discharge.
Who paid for the cleanup of the Gold King Mine?
Under the settlement with the Navajo Nation, Sunnyside Gold Corp. — a subsidiary of Canada’s Kinross Gold — will pay the tribe $10 million. The spill released 3 million gallons (11 million liters) of wastewater from the inactive Gold King Mine in southwestern Colorado.
Why was the water from the Gold King Mine spill so brown in color?
And then it began gushing out. And then the Animas River, which runs through Durango, changed color and news crews from across the country descended upon southwest Colorado and the Four Corners region. The reason the water was orange has to do with how mining exposes sulfide-rich rock to air and water.
Where is Bonita Peak Mining District?
Background. The Bonita Peak Mining District site consists of 48 historic mines or mining-related sources where ongoing releases of metal-laden water and sediments are occurring within the Mineral Creek, Cement Creek and Upper Animas River drainages in San Juan County, Colorado.
Is Gold King Mine a Superfund site?
The Gold King Mine spill The color came from the iron in the plume, but the metals that were not seen continue to cause concern, such as lead and arsenic. The spill also led to the Bonita Peak Mining District in Colorado, where the Gold King Mine is located, to be listed as a Superfund site.
Where is Bonita Peak mining District?
Is the Animas River still polluted?
Despite the many Stakeholders Group successes, water quality in the Animas River in recent years has diminished, mainly from the mines leaching into one of the river’s tributaries, Cement Creek. In 2014, the EPA decided pollution had gotten so bad that it stepped in with a $1.5 million cleanup project of its own.
Why is the Animas River Brown?
The water was a cloudy brown color with bits of suspended, charred debris. Sediment and ash from the 416 Fire piles up along the banks of Hermosa Creek, a tributary of the Animas River. The Animas began the summer with record low water because of drought and a warm winter. Many western rivers are stressed.
Is there gold in the Animas River?
Anywhere near the headwaters of the Animas River is worth exploring including the Animas Forks, Cement Creek, and Mineral Creek. There was a lot of gold mined here back in the day, but mostly from hard rock mines. Smaller quantities were sluiced from the river.
What was the 2015 Gold King Mine waste water spill?
The 2015 Gold King Mine waste water spill was an environmental disaster that began at the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado, when Environmental Protection Agency personnel, along with workers for Environmental Restoration LLC (a Missouri company under EPA contract to mitigate pollutants from the closed mine),…
What’s going on with the Gold King Mine?
A $1.5M water treatment plant built by the EPA to treat acid mine drainage from the Gold King Mine began operation in October 2015. In June, 2018, the EPA proposed a $10 million interim clean-up plan that was met with criticism for showing no actual benefit.
How long did it take for heavy metals to reach Lake Powell?
The heavy metals appeared to be settling to the bottom of the river. They are largely insoluble unless the entire river becomes very acidic. The waste was initially expected to reach Lake Powell by August 12; arriving on August 14, it was expected to pass through the lake within two weeks.
