Congressional Committee Asks For Investigation Into Animas River Contamination
DENVER (CBS4)- A congressional committee has asked the Environmental Protection Agency Office of the Inspector General to investigate the cause of the wastewater spill into the Animas River and the EPA response.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform made the request for the investigation to the Inspector General's Office. That office will evaluate the request and focus on any neglect, reckless, administrative misconduct or criminal activity by an EPA staff or contractors.
RELATED: Everything You Need To Know About The Animas River Spill
EPA director Gina McCarthy said her agency will halt all mine reclamation projects nationwide until a full review of what went wrong at the Gold King Mine can be completed.
"Reason for being here is because the EPA does take full responsibility," said McCarthy. "We want to make sure we are looking at all other mines so no similar activities are put on hold."
RELATED: Wednesday's Mine Spill Timeline
Her visit to Durango and public statements come one week after an EPA-supervised crew accidentally unleashed 3 million gallons of wastewater from an old mine that flowed into the Animas River.
The EPA said it will conduct an internal investigation and will seek an independent review.
PHOTO GALLERY: Gov. Hickenlooper Tours Animas River
The Gold King Mine is one of 200 mines in the state that has site water quality issues. The millions of gallons of contaminated water that came out of the mine all at once would have come out anyway but usually over several weeks, according to the head of Colorado's Inactive Mine Reclamation Program.
"Any time you have an inactive or abandoned mine people haven't been into for decades underground, it's a constantly changing, dynamic situation," said Bruce Stover, the Director of the Colorado Inactive Mine Reclamation Program.
McCarthy said the latest water testing results show that the river in Durango has returned to its former condition. That's something that Gov. John Hickenlooper confirmed on Tuesday.
