The Swamp Stomp

Volume 15, Issue 45

A report by the Interior Department found that the EPA lacked the expertise to carry out a project that resulted in the spilling of 3 million gallons of wastewater into the Colorado River. The report, released on October 22, found that the EPA was aware of the dangers of carrying out the project for more than a year before the spill happened, CNN reported.

On August 5, workers attempting to drain and contain toxic water seeping from an abandoned mine in the Colorado Rockies caused a blowout that polluted the Colorado River and nearby waterways with lead, arsenic, cadmium, beryllium and mercury. CNN reported that the spill “temporarily turned the Animas River a shade of yellow-orange”.  Although the EPA officials said levels of these metals have gone back to normal, some experts claim the heavy metals have simply sunk to the bottom of the rivers.

The report outlined several failures by the EPA at the site in addition to the actual spill. These included a lack of analysis on downstream consequences if there was a failure, failure to analyze the geologic and hydrologic conditions of the general area and a lack of understanding that water behind a blocked mine opening can create hydraulic forces similar to those found behind a dam.

The report stated that the EPA has guidelines for how to conduct environmental sampling, waste characterization and water treatment in abandoned mines.  However, the report also stated that these guidelines have “little appreciation for the engineering complexity of some abandoned mine projects that often require, but do not receive, a significant level of expertise.”

According to the New York Times, the accident happened when the EPA, with the Department of Natural Resources, pushed a pipe horizontally through the top of a plug holding back the toxic water. The Interior Department’s report said the better alternative would have been to drill a hole from the top first. This would have allowed the EPA to see whether or not pressure needed to be relieved on the plug before placing the pipe. The EPA countered that drilling would have been to costly and slow in its own review in August.

In June 2014, the contractor working on the project, Environmental Restoration, warned the EPA that working on the mine might lead to a blowout of wastewater containing toxic metals, CNN reported. New documents show that Environmental Restoration warned the EPA again in May 2015.

This report may not be the end of the EPA’s woes, however. According to CNN, attorneys general in New Mexico, Utah and Colorado have suggested they may sue the EPA, either individually, or as a group.

Sources:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/22/us/animas-river-colorado-epa-mine-spill/

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/federal-investigation-blames-epa-for-toxic-spill/article/2574710?custom_click=rss