CamrynSippy

SeminarPrep

Causeofthespill:
Couldthespillhavebeenpreventedandifsohow?
ThespillthatoccurredoutoftheGoldKingMinewasconsideredatragedythatwas
unnecessarilycausedbytheEPA,yetIdontthinkthatiscouldhavebeenprevented.Thewater
thatwasreleasedfromtheminewasbackedupfromtheSunnysideandtheRedandBonita
minesthatareinthesamearea.TheRedandBonitaaditdrainsthemineworkingsand
surroundingrockwithadischargeattheportalmeasuredat336gallonsperminute(gpm)
(PreliminaryEvaluation,AllenSorenson)andasmallamountwasbeingreleasedfromtheGold
KingMinealso.Idontbelievethatthisspillcouldhavebeenpreventedorbulkheadedbecause
thewaterpressurewouldhaveeventuallygottentoohighandwouldhavebustedthroughonits
own.Overthedecades,thiswaterhastravelledfromminetominethroughtheconnecting
tunnelsandfissuresthatarebothmanmadeandnaturallyoccurring.Asthiswatercontinuesto
build,thepressureonthebulkheadsincreasesandthewaterhastofindnewplacestogobecause
oftheamountofit.Thesemineswereatickingtimebombjustwaitingtobereleased.The
originalreasonthattheEPAwasattheGoldKingMinewastoactuallyexaminetheRedand
BonitaMine(ScottF).TheEPAsplanwastodrillintotheGoldKingMinetoseehowmuch
waterhadtravelledfromtheRedandBonitaandtheSunnysidemines.TheEPAwouldthen
decidehowtobulkheadtheRedandBonitaandtheGoldKingMineinthesafestandmost
efficientway.WhentheEPAwasdrilling,theybreachedtheclosureortheGoldKingMineand
discoveredtherewasmorewaterthanoriginallythought.Thistriggeredthespillofallofthe
wateratonce.Sincetherewasmorepressureontheclosureoftheminethanoriginallythought,
thewaterwouldhaveeventuallyforceditswayoutofthemine.

EcologicalImpacts:

Howfarreachingwilltheecologicalimpactsbeandhowwilltheyvary
basedontheregionofthespill?
AfterinterviewinglifelongDurangoresident,EdZink,aboutthespillandhislifehere,I
learnedsomeinterestingthingsabouttheeffectofthespill,orlackthereof.EdZinkwasborn
andraisedhereintheAnimasRiverValleyhereinDurangowherehelivedonaranchthathad
cows,horses,etc.Throughhislifetimehehasseenmanyeventslikethishappeninthepastand
isntasconcernedabouttheriverandourhealthasthegeneralpopulationhis.Hestatedduring
ourinterviewthattheriverhasneverbeenagreathabitatforaquaticlife,plantlife,oranykind
oflifeforthatmatter.TheAnimasRiverValleywasformedbyahugeUshapedglacier
pushingthroughtheearththousandsandthousandsofyearsagounlikemostvalleysinourarea
thatareVshapedlikeravines.Basedtohowourvalleywascreated,theriverneverbeenavery
suitableforaquaticlifetoliveinandforhumanstofishin.Theterrainoftheriverbetween
SilvertonandandtheAnimasRiverValleyistooruggedandrockyformostplantsandinsectsto
livein.Theplantsandinsectsarewhatthefishfeedon,sothefishonlyresidewheretheplants
andthebugsareabletolive.Becauseoftheterrainoftheriver,plantsandbugsareonlyableto
livewheretheriverbedbecomessandy.Thistypeofsandyriverbedonlyoccurredrightbefore
townandinvariousspotsthroughtownwheretheriverhascompletelysloweddown.TheGold
Kingminespillwouldnthavedirectlyaffectedthefishbypoisoningthem,butinsteadthespill
wouldcontaminatetheplantsinbugs.Iftheplantsandbugsweregreatlyaffectedbythespill

thentheywilldieoffandtherewouldntbeanyfoodleftforthefishandotheraquaticlife.(Ed
Zink)

Basedonhowfasttheriverwasmovingprespillandhowmuchcontaminatedwater
wasactuallyreleased,thespillwasntasharmfulasweoriginallythought.Thecontaminated
spillwaterhadapHofaround3or3.5whichisabitlikeswimmingincoffee.Whenthiswater
wasintroducedtotheAnimasriver,whileitlookeddangerousandtoxicbecauseofthecolor,it
wasntasbadbecauseitwasseverelydiluted.Asittravelledthroughtowninitsdilutedstate,the
pHwouldhavebalancedouttoaroundwhatitwasatbeforethespill.Thiswatertookaboutfour
daystotravelthroughtownwhichmadeitseemlikeamuchgreaterdealthanitreallywas.Had
thecontaminatedwatertravelleddowntheriverasonewholeunit,thespillwouldhavebeenin
andoutoftowninaroundtenminutes.(EdZink)

HistoricalContext:
Howwastheriveraffectedbypollutionbeforetheactualspill?
DuringmyinterviewwithEdZink,Ilearnedalotaboutwhathehasseenhappentothe
riverduringtheyearsthathehaslivedhere.Heexplainedtomethatthisspillsisntsomething
thatisextremelynewtotheriverbecauseithashappenedsomanytimesbefore.Therehasbeen
atleast10spillslikethisonethathaveoccurredinthisriversinceIwasborn.Allofthemhave
rangedinblackorsilvertotheorangesthatwesawduringthisspill.Thisspillwasprobablythe
firstofthisexactvibrantorangecolor.TheotherdayIwasdiggingonthebankoftheriver
nearestthewetlandsintheAnimasRiverValleywithmytrackhoe.AsIdugtoaround6or8
feet,Icouldstarttoseetheareasinthedirtwheretheironoxidefrompreviousspillincidents
hadsettledontheriverbed.Thesedimentwasthencoveredbyriversiltandsand/dirtthatthe
watercarrieddowntheriver.Everytimeanincidenthappened,anotherpatchydiscoloredline
wasformedinthedirt.Idontbelievethatthespillwastoxicbecausealloftheseelementsinthe
waterarenaturallyoccurring.Idobelievethatduetosocialmedia,thiseventwasoverexposed
andmadeoutbemoretoxicanddestructivethanitactuallywas.

FutureImplications:
ShouldSilvertonbedesignatedasaSuperfundsite?
IcannotsayforsurewhetherornotSilvertonshouldbedesignatedasaSuperfundsite
becauseIdontknowitwouldhelp.WhileyestheminesaroundtheSilvertonareacouldperhaps
becomecleanerandmaintained,ImnotsurehowaSuperfundwouldsolveanaturallyoccurring
leakageofthesetoxicsubstances.ASuperfundmaybeabletopreventaspillofthismagnitude
fromhappeningagainbutIdontthinkitwouldstopthecreationofthecontaminantsinthe
water,contaminantsthatarenaturallyoccurringasessentiallyharmless.Forexample,the
naturallyoccurringhotspringthatislocatedatthebaseoftheShalonaHillonthehighwayas
yourareheadeduptheskiareaismadeofthesamesubstancesasthoseinthemines.Thissiteis
designatedasatouristattractionwherepeoplestopandtakepictures,climbonit,andplayinthe
water.Thisisntseenasharmful.(EdZink)WhilesomemayseeaSuperfundasnecessaryto
closeofftheminesandpreventanythingelsefromescaping,Ibelieveitmaybeabetteroption
tojustcleantheminesofthemanmadecontaminantsandallowthemtoremainopen.This
perhapsisntpossiblebutitmaybethebestoption.