People in areas surrounding Colorado’s Animas River were shocked to see these picturesque waters turn a strange orange color. Strangely hued bodies of water can occur naturally, but sadly, the Animas River’s sudden change was nowhere near natural.
Looking like a stream of mac and cheese, what’s really going on here is far less pleasant than everyone’s favorite comfort food.
On August 5, a team of workers accidentally released three million gallons of waste water from the Gold King Mine in Silverton, Colorado. This water is full of heavy metals, including lead and arsenic, which lend the water this bizarre hue.
Because it happened so recently, officials are still figuring out how to best clean up the spill and rehabilitate the damaged ecosystem. They’ve advised people to stay out of the water until it’s cleaned up.
Sadly, this contamination is on the move.
The river will bring the waste through San Juan National Forest in New Mexico, and eventually into Utah.
The water will ultimately empty into Utah’s Lake Powell. It’s projected to reach the lake by Wednesday.
Evidently, the waste water was being stored inside an abandoned mine shaft, and it was accidentally released into the river by a crew of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) workers.
It’s still unclear what exactly led to the spill, and it’s too early to tell who should be held accountable.
In the wake of this disaster, Colorado’s governor has declared a state of emergency — and rightfully so. The river runs through a stretch of pristine, protected land that’s home to many species of animals and plants. These organisms are now in danger of being poisoned by the toxic sludge being carried by the river.
The plume of toxic waste is expected to dissipate in a few days, but the potential for long-term environmental damage is high.
Watch the chilling footage here:
We don’t know what the effects of this spill will be in the long run, or how the river’s ecosystems and surrounding communities will be affected in the future. We can only hope that other mines holding waste water and other dangerous materials will be managed more safely to prevent a disaster like this from happening again.
