Durango Mayor: Animas River Spill 'Catastrophic For The Community'
DURANGO, Colo. (CBS4) - A State of Emergency has been declared in southern Colorado after three million gallons of mine waste spilled into the Animas River. The Environmental Protection Agency has closed off the river and is working on a cleanup plan.
The now notorious orange plume is clearing in Durango, but the problems the toxic sludge left behind go far beyond the yellow tinge on river rocks still visible from downtown.
Durango Mayor Dean Brookie said the toxic spill triggered by an EPA cleanup team working at the Gold King Mine upstream of the town last week has been devastating.
"It's been really catastrophic for this community emotionally ... I call it the three E's, environment, economy and emotion of our town," said Brookie.
Brookie said it will cost the area millions of dollars in lost tourism, and some effects might not be known for decades.
"This is a summertime business, huge river rafting, I've been here for 35 years, we've developed a huge rafting community, people enjoying the river every day, all of a sudden comes to a screeching halt," said Brookie.
Everything You Need To Know About The Animas River Spill
So far the EPA has only released some results from water tests, saying there is lead and arsenic in the spill. Mayor Brookie says residents desperately want to know what exactly was left behind in the river.
And frustration over the EPA's response continues.
"We've got a lot of questions for the EPA," Brookie said.
The EPA said the blatant toxic plume is finally dissipating after several days as it moves downstream towards Lake Powell. The mine-contaminated water is now being collected in treatment ponds and no longer leaking into the river.
Gov. John Hickenlooper declared a disaster emergency for the region late Monday. He will tour the area and meet with crews on the ground in Durango on Tuesday morning. He is also expected to release state water tests of the area at that time.
