A new Bureau of Reclamation report on a major mine wastewater spill in Colorado isn’t likely to halt criticism heaped on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its role in the Aug. 5 blowout. But some observers say hard-rock mines’ environmental problems are widespread.
The report, released on Oct. 22, concludes that the Gold King Mine spill, which spewed 3 million gallons of tainted wastewater into the Animas River and its tributaries, could have been prevented if the on-site EPA-led team had drilled into the mine to get an accurate reading of water levels behind the adit. The bureau said, “Had this been done, the plan to open the mine would have been revised, and the blowout would not have occurred.”