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Investigation: EPA, state underestimated spill potential
By MATTHEW BROWN
Aug. 26, 2015 3:48 PM EDT
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Federal and state regulators underestimated the potential for a toxic blowout from a Colorado mine, despite warnings more than a year earlier that a large-volume spill of wastewater was possible, an internal government investigation released Wednesday found.
The regulators wrongly concluded there was little or no pressure from the millions of gallons of water trapped inside the inactive Gold King mine, the federal Environmental Protection Agency concluded in its probe. It was unclear when that determination was made.
The massive spill occurred on Aug. 5 when a government cleanup crew doing excavation work triggered the release of an estimated 3 million gallons of sludge that fouled hundreds of miles of rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
The torrent of toxic water released from the mine also shut down some public drinking water and irrigation systems.
"There was in fact high enough water pressure to cause the blowout," EPA Deputy Administrator Stan Meiburg said on a conference call after the release of documents summarizing the investigation. He said the error was likely the most significant factor behind the spill.
Investigation: EPA, state underestimated spill potential
"GTP"
By MATTHEW BROWN
Aug. 26, 2015 3:48 PM EDT
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Federal and state regulators underestimated the potential for a toxic blowout from a Colorado mine, despite warnings more than a year earlier that a large-volume spill of wastewater was possible, an internal government investigation released Wednesday found.
The regulators wrongly concluded there was little or no pressure from the millions of gallons of water trapped inside the inactive Gold King mine, the federal Environmental Protection Agency concluded in its probe. It was unclear when that determination was made.
The massive spill occurred on Aug. 5 when a government cleanup crew doing excavation work triggered the release of an estimated 3 million gallons of sludge that fouled hundreds of miles of rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
The torrent of toxic water released from the mine also shut down some public drinking water and irrigation systems.
"There was in fact high enough water pressure to cause the blowout," EPA Deputy Administrator Stan Meiburg said on a conference call after the release of documents summarizing the investigation. He said the error was likely the most significant factor behind the spill.
Investigation: EPA, state underestimated spill potential
"GTP"
