GOD PROTECT US FROM THE EPA

Letter to Editor written BEFORE the EPA created this massive environmental disaster. Fuck the EPA.

FARMINGTON, N.M. —Nearly 3 million gallons of contaminated wastewater from Colorado’s Gold King mine has made its way into the Animas River since an EPA mistake last week.

The wastewater began spilling last Wednesday when an EPA-supervised cleanup crew accidentally breached a debris dam that was flowing at 550 gallons per minute.

The spill turned the river into an orange, mucky mess for several days as the plume made its way downstream.

Five days after the spill, southern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico residents continue to avoid the river.

Those affected most by the millions of gallons of waste accidentally dumped into the Animas River by an Environmental Protection Agency crew, sounded off at a town hall meeting in Farmington Monday night.

The plume hit San Juan County, has now dumped into the San Juan River and is moving into Utah toward Lake Powell, a popular tourist destination.

Aztec and Farmington shut off their intake valves to the river because of the spill and both have now tapped into their water reserves. At the town hall meeting, San Juan County officials asked people to be mindful about conserving water.

Test samples from the waste at the mine showed high levels of hazardous metals like lead and arsenic.

State officials and EPA engineers are waiting on test samples from river water in New Mexico to see if those levels stayed high after the plume thinned out. When they’re released, officials will have a better idea of when things might be back to normal.

Until then, farmers can’t use the river for crops or livestock and people living off of private wells have no water.

While water is being made available to those people, many of them told us on Monday that the spill is devastating their livelihood.

“The EPA is out of control,” farmer Bill Scott said. “I grow alfalfa and sell beef and this is just devastating to farmers, and we’re getting little information about the river right now.”

Mack McVickers lives on a private well and told us he has to drive from Aztec to Farmington to take a shower every day at a friend’s house.

“I’m concerned about my health in the long term, but I can’t bathe, can’t get any water for my dog, it’s inconvenient,” McVicker said.

McVicker and many others who attended the meeting wanted to know when the inconvenience will end.

That question couldn’t be answered by EPA officials.

More than 1,000 wells in San Juan County could be impacted by the spill.

People came out in droves to find out if their water was safe to drink. So far, more than 200 people have brought water in to be tested.

Some of the water samples will be taken off to a lab for further testing, and it may take at least a week for those results to come back.

“I mean this is our life blood,“ Aztec resident Bill Peterson said. “You can bet it’s a serious situation.”

The county has declared a state of emergency. In the meantime, people living within one-and-a-half miles of the river are being asked to get their water tested and take precautions.

“Avoid showering, drinking, any type of bodily contact with that water. Don’t let the livestock drink it,” said Jack King, with the New Mexico Environment Department.

The county is asking people to cut back on their water consumption until it gets the all clear from the EPA.

State officials and the EPA tested both the Animas and San Juan rivers before the plume reached the area, so they can see exactly how the contaminated water affected them.

The state has also created a website with the latest information on the spill and water well monitoring information. CLICK HERE to visit that site.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez declared a state of emergency due to the contamination.

The declaration will make the state and its residents eligible for federal funds to help deal with the fallout.

“I had the chance to see the spill with my own eyes. It is absolutely devastating, and I am heartbroken by this environmental catastrophe,” Martinez said. “As I’ve said before, I am very concerned by EPA’s lack of communication and inability to provide accurate information. One day, the spill is 1 million gallons. The next, it’s 3 million. New Mexicans deserve answers we can rely on.”

Martinez was also critical of how long it took the EPA to notify citizens. She said 24 hours was too long, and it’s going to be costly to clean up and for those who rely on that river to make a living.

“This would have allowed farmers to get ahead of what was happening more quickly, water their fields, water their cattle, get clean water, whatever they needed from the Animas River before it was too late, but it didn’t happen,” Martinez said.

EPA staffers told Action 7 News the river will be closed for at least another week.

They do not know how many people are impacted, but said five water supply systems in New Mexico are affected.

They EPA said they have been constantly testing and screening the water. Agency staffers also said there will be an independent investigation into the spill.

A lot of folks are worried about livestock and crops in the heat of the summer.

The Gold King Mine is just one of thousands filled with the same contaminated water.

Experts estimate that there are 55,000 abandoned mines across the west, and federal and state authorities have struggled for decades to clean them up.

What happened in this instance is part of the reason for the struggle. Accidents can cause lots of damage and be very expensive.