Photo: Mine waste from the Gold King Mine. Source: Jerry McBride—Durango Herald
Reflecting some of the issues surrounding water rights for the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas that we talked about here, the water for many across the Navajo Nation has been tainted by a 3 million gallon wastewater spill from the Gold King Mine north of Silverton, Colorado.
Facts:
After ceasing operations at the mine in 1923, Gold King Mine has been filling with toxin-ridden groundwater for the past 90 years.
On August 5 an EPA team breached a natural dam that had formed in the Gold King Mine releasing 3 million gallons, originally reported as only 1 million, of toxic wastewater into a tributary of the Animas River.
The Animas River runs southwestern through Colorado, flowing through northwestern New Mexico meeting the San Juan River near Farmington, and joining the Colorado River at Lake Powell in Utah.
The mine continues to discharge water at a rate of 500 gallons per minute, but the EPA has set up treatment ponds at the site to prevent further contamination.
A state of emergency has been declared for all communities along affected rivers including the Navajo Nation.
Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye has moved to sue the EPA for their involvement in this spill stating, “They are impacting the livelihood of our people.”
The EPA stated it found traces of arsenic, cadmium, aluminum, copper and calcium in the mine discharge.
