Colorado Politics

Officials: Gold King mine spill didn’t affect drinking water 

New Mexico officials say the massive mine waste spill in southwestern Colorado last year did not impact the quality of drinking water for most San Juan County residents.

The Farmington Daily Times reports that the New Mexico Environment Department’s Drinking Water Bureau informed the Gold King Mine Citizens’ Advisory Committee that though San Juan County public water systems were shut down to keep the waste out, a year later the affected public water systems remain in compliance with drinking water standards.

An EPA-led crew triggered the spill at the Gold King Mine during preliminary cleanup work on Aug. 5, 2015. Three million gallons of wastewater carrying arsenic, lead and other heavy metals tainted rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.

In this Aug. 14, 2015, file photo, water flows through a series of sediment retention ponds built to reduce heavy metal and chemical contaminants from the Gold King Mine wastewater accident, in the spillway about 1/4 mile downstream from the mine, outside Silverton, Colo. A year after a mine waste spill, residents are taking a break from the aftermath for a party that includes a specially brewed beer the color of the spill. They’re also taking a few jabs at the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which accidentally caused the 3-million-gallon spill at the Gold King Mine on Aug. 5, 2015. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)
Brennan Linsley

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