With improving news about the Animas River, officials can turn their attention to more long-term impacts to the budget and contaminated sediment.
State and federal health officials say Animas water quality has returned to pre-event conditions after an estimated 3 million gallons of mining wastewater poured into the river on Aug. 5.
But questions remain about the sediment in the river. Although water quality may have returned to normal, sediment at the bottom and along the river may still contain unhealthy levels of heavy metals, including lead, arsenic, cadmium and aluminum.
“We are waiting for the results,” EPA spokesman Richard Mylott said Thursday. “When the data are available, they will be analyzed, and an assessment of longer-term risks will be made.”
State health officials await similar test results.
Sampling results from the EPA show high levels of heavy metals. For example, samples in the hours after the spill contained lead levels more than 200 times the acute exposure limit for aquatic life and more than 3,500 times the limit for human ingestion.
The agency emphasized that contamination levels have fallen as the pollution moved downstream and the toxic metals settled to the bottom.
The company that the EPA contracted to do the work at Gold King Mine is Environmental Restoration, of St. Louis. The company declined comment but in a news release, said acknowledged it was on site during the spill.
An emergency disaster declaration by Gov. John Hickenlooper made $500,000 available, but the county must assess all its costs so it can seek full reimbursement from the federal government.
In a memo sent to the EPA last week, La Plata County officials outlined a long list of requests, including full reimbursements for a variety of costs that has burdened the county.
County officials want a $200,000 initial response grant to cover expenses. La Plata also seeks “other arrangements” to reimburse agencies. Another request wants a grant for an independent review of EPA data and analysis. Similarly, officials want assistance to assess aquatic wildlife.
The county wants a cooperative agreement to fully reimburse it for ongoing expenses, pointing out that there may be future health advisories. It says a partnership may be necessary with San Juan Basin Health and Colorado Parks and Wildlife and that there will be costs in assessing the financial impact to the county.
County officials also would like the EPA to establish a recovery center to assist the community in accessing resource assistance, including help with filing claims against the EPA.
The memo calls on the EPA to release a spill report that quantifies known and expected impacts. They would like a calculated deposition of released material along Cement Creek and down the Animas corridor. The county seeks a projection of physical, chemical and biological impacts to water, sediments and soils for irrigation. And officials want to see ongoing water-quality and sediment monitoring as part of an overall cleanup plan.
County officials also would like to see an explanation of the history leading up to the incident, as the leak from the abandoned Gold King Mine near Silverton has been a looming fear for years. In fact, the county has requested an assessment of other abandoned mines in the area. They say a water-treatment plant at Silverton is necessary.
Meanwhile, Durango city officials are also compiling financial impacts, said City Manager Ron LeBlanc. They are assessing communitywide impacts, including any drop in revenue from a loss of sales and lodgers taxes. Impacts to the rafting and fishing industries are being analyzed. Equipment expenses also are being calculated.
More long-term, city officials are assessing impacts based on possible future vacation decisions, such as if tourists cross Durango off their vacation list following the incident.
In terms of city operations, officials are examining what staff members’ resources were devoted to the emergency, including overtime. There’s also potential cuts or reductions in service levels that might be required based on future revised revenue forecasts following the incident.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.