EPA team dispatched to New Mexico in response to Animas River contamination

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region 6 office deployed federal personnel to New Mexico on Aug. 6 in response to the Aug. 5 release from Colorado’s Gold King Mine that introduced contaminated water into Animas River, which communities downstream use as a source for drinking water.

The EPA Region 6 team is working with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) to assess the release’s impact on the states drinking water system, which has the capacity to prepare and store water in case of necessary shutdowns. The federal and state agencies are cooperating in sampling and testing, while NMED is working directly on community water systems.

With an initial team arriving in New Mexico on Aug. 6 and additional technicians arriving the next day, the EPA has collected samples at the drinking water sources for Farmington and Aztec, New Mexico. The team has also worked on sampling preparations for other areas, as the NMED plans to return the drinking water systems to normal operations as the release moves downstream. The EPA will also provide laboratory assistance to aid in the testing of these samples.

EPA testimony statements are available online at www.epa.gov.