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Animas River Updates from Fort Lewis College
with Ray Kenny, professor of Geosciences
To help people understand the complex issues surrounding the Animas River mine waste spill, we're offering insights from Fort Lewis College faculty on questions people in the community are asking.
What are some of the key things people should know now, a week after the spill?
Response from: Professor of Geosciences Ray Kenny. Dr. Kenny specializes in environmental geology and geomorphology.
Our community should understand the following:
- The EPA is presently following all proper protocol with respect to water sampling and testing. Good data is a requisite for moving forward and developing a proper long-term plan.
- Accurate test results take time; we are all awaiting additional test results and that information will be passed along as it becomes available.
- FLC personnel in the Geosciences Department are using our research capabilities and have volunteered our expertise to assist the community. The Geosciences Department at FLC has already collected several water samples; these samples are currently being independently analyzed at an EPA and State of Colorado certified laboratory. We are waiting for the results just like the EPA.
- The public drinking water for Durango and FLC has not been contaminated by this spill. Both Durango's and FLC's water presently comes from the Florida River and the City Reservoir.
- The contaminated slug of water from the Gold King Mine located north of Silverton (~60 river miles north of Durango) has moved through the Durango area, and the river no longer maintains a yellow-orange color. Preliminary EPA results indicate that the pH of the Animas River and the dissolved MCL (maximum contaminant levels) are now similar to pre-spill levels.
- State of Colorado Parks and Wildlife division have placed over 100 fish in cages at three different Animas River locations near town and are monitoring their health. Only one mortality has been reported thus far. Preliminary results reported by Scott Roberts of the Mountain Studies Institute indicate that the dominant benthic macroinvertebrate taxa in the Durango stretch of the Animas River survived the first twenty hours of exposure to the slug of water containing sediment and metals from the Gold King mine.
- The EPA is working with the USGS (United States Geological Survey) to install surface water auto-samplers from Silverton to the NM state line for long-term monitoring. The FLC Geosciences Department has been in contact with the USGS to see if we can be of assistance now or in the near future.