WASHINGTON, DC
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is committed to working closely with response agencies and state, tribal and local officials to ensure public safety, to respond to concerns and to evaluate impacts to water and sediment that may have been contaminated by the Gold King Mine release.
As part of this effort, EPA announced today that it is has made a number of Gold King Mine file documents available to the public. These include the EPA Task Order, the Action/Work Plan and Site Health and Safety Plan for the work at the Gold King Mine site.
The independent review announced this week by the U.S. Department of the Interior will analyze the incident, including the contributing causes. These documents, the independent review and EPA’s internal technical examination of the incident that is now being conducted will provide greater understanding of the incident.
Given the experience with the August 5, 2015 blow out from pressurized water at the Gold King Mine, additional work is needed to ensure there are no more blockages holding back water which could contribute to future surges of contaminated water. The EPA and State responders have begun these efforts, but they have not yet been completed.
Gold King Mine file documents:
Background on the Gold King Mine
EPA activities at the Gold King Mine site were to address the risk of blow out identified by EPA and the State of Colorado by taking actions to relieve pressure build up from historic construction operations at the interconnected mines by the previous mining operator. This work included improving site access, stabilizing the mine structure, controlling water and metal precipitate, and treating surge water as necessary.The Gold King Mine had not had maintenance of the mine workings since 1991, and the workings have been inaccessible since 1995 when the mine portal collapsed. This condition likely caused impounding of water behind the collapse and other collapses within the workings may have occurred creating additional water impounding conditions.
The Upper Animas Watershed, where the Gold King Mine is located, contains an estimated 400 abandoned and inactive mine sites, which were the focus of both large- and small-scale mining operations between 1871 and 1991. As a result, the Animas River and many of its tributaries have been historically impacted by high concentrations of heavy metals from both acid rock/mine drainage at mine sites and from naturally occurring metal loading sources not impacted by mining.
EPA, the State, and other stakeholders have been working together
since the 1990’s to assess water quality impacts in the Upper Animas
River and its tributaries from mining related heavy metals. Numerous
mine reclamation and mine waste cleanup projects have been completed in
the watershed over the last 20 years. These efforts have included
diverting runoff away from and capping mine waste piles, moving mine
waste piles away from drainages, consolidating mine waste piles and
revegetating mine waste piles.
Additional Information:
History of the Gold King Mine
Updates on the Gold King Mine response
Red and Bonita Administrative Record Documents