The spill from Colorado’s Gold King Mine last summer released 3 million gallons of wastewater and polluted two western rivers. A new report by the U.S. House says government workers at the mine knew a spill was possible. Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports.
An official with the Environmental Protection Agency in charge of the site wrote in an email he knew a significant volume of water could be inside the inactive mine. An EPA crew conducted excavation work anyway and triggered the spill on August 5.
The probe by the House Committee on Natural Resources concluded the EPA had been negligent, and lacked transparency following the incident. The committee said the agency had also violated the Clean Water and Endangered Species acts.
An investigation into the spill by the Interior Department last year blamed the EPA for failing to determine whether the mine contained pressurized water.
The spill contaminated the Animas River in Colorado, and the San Juan River in Utah, New Mexico, and the Navajo Nation. Officials with the EPA said pollution returned to pre-spill levels shortly after the incident.
The agency did not respond to a request for comment about the House’s report.
