• 3 minutes e-car sales collapse
  • 6 minutes America Is Exceptional in Its Political Divide
  • 11 minutes Perovskites, a ‘dirt cheap’ alternative to silicon, just got a lot more efficient
  • 5 hours GREEN NEW DEAL = BLIZZARD OF LIES
  • 12 hours Could Someone Give Me Insights on the Future of Renewable Energy?
  • 24 hours How Far Have We Really Gotten With Alternative Energy
  • 2 days "What’s In Store For Europe In 2023?" By the CIA (aka RFE/RL as a ruse to deceive readers)
  • 2 days Bankruptcy in the Industry
  • 3 days The United States produced more crude oil than any nation, at any time.
How Long Will the Gold Rally Last?

How Long Will the Gold Rally Last?

Precious metal prices surge, particularly…

U.S. Sanctions on Venezuela Snap Back Into Place

U.S. Sanctions on Venezuela Snap Back Into Place

The U.S. has reimposed sanctions…

EPA Admits: Colorado River Spill Three Times Bigger Than Expected

 

EPA says that about 3 million gallons of toxic wastewater, triple previous estimates, have poured from an old Colorado gold mine into local streams since last week.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Sunday the spill caused accidentally by one of its clean-up teams working at an old Colorado gold mine has tripled in volume.

The leak, containing high concentrations of heavy metals such as arsenic, mercury and lead, is now estimated to have reached about three million gallons of toxic wastewater, triple than originally estimated.

Related: The Price Of ‘C’ In China

According to the first statement released by the EPA, the contaminated water was hiding out behind debris near the Gold King Mine entrance, where the crew was working with heavy machinery. The mine waste poured out into a nearby creek, eventually leading to the Animas River where the spill spread.

These images, courtesy of the Environmental Protection Agency, show the mouth of the Gold King Mine tunnel (left), and the channeled runoff on the mine dump (right).

Related: Tech Giants Opt For Renewables On Cost, Not Just Good PR

The discharge was still flowing at the rate of 500 gallons per minute yesterday, four days after the spill began at the Gold King Mine, the EPA added.

Image courtesy of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The agency has been diverting the ongoing release into two newly built settling ponds where the waste was being treated with chemicals to lower its acidity and to filter out dissolved solids before being discharged to Cement Creek.

Image courtesy of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The federal unit has also set up a website to provide constant updates on the situation.

Related: The Saudi Oil Price War Is Backfiring

EPA reiterated the spill does not threaten local sources of drinking water and the main contaminants responsible for the leak’s mustard-like colour are unlikely to be dangerous.

ADVERTISEMENT

Image courtesy of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Still, recreational activity on the affected waterways has been suspended until the orange-coloured plume has fully dissipated.

By Cecilia Jamasmie via Mining.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:



Join the discussion | Back to homepage



Leave a comment
  • James Kearns on August 10 2015 said:
    Are we to continue to believe what EPA preaches in the face of such tragic incompetence?

Leave a comment

EXXON Mobil -0.35
Open57.81 Trading Vol.6.96M Previous Vol.241.7B
BUY 57.15
Sell 57.00
Oilprice - The No. 1 Source for Oil & Energy News