--- title: Colorado Mining Water Contamination: Orange Water Results From Waste description: Scientists grappled with a spill of toxic wastewater, the day after the EPA said that the accident had led 3 million gallons of water runoff canonical: https://time.com/3991302/colorado-waste-water-spill/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-11T00:31:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:58:12.542Z article:section: Science og:title: Colorado Mining Water Contamination: Orange Water Results From Waste og:description: Scientists grappled with a spill of toxic wastewater, the day after the EPA said that the accident had led 3 million gallons of water runoff og:url: https://time.com/3991302/colorado-waste-water-spill/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5cb0896a7b78410/69885eace53aba6a6a4df040/polluted-river-colorad-wastewater-leak-animas-river.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2100 og:image:height: 1181 og:image:alt: People kayak in the Animas River near Durango, Colo., in water colored from a mine waste spill. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Colorado Mining Water Contamination: Orange Water Results From Waste twitter:description: Scientists grappled with a spill of toxic wastewater, the day after the EPA said that the accident had led 3 million gallons of water runoff twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5cb0896a7b78410/69885eace53aba6a6a4df040/polluted-river-colorad-wastewater-leak-animas-river.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What The Colorado Waste Water Spill Tells Us About Mining Contamination > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: The Gulf Oil Spill by the Numbers [Watch (HLS stream): The Gulf Oil Spill by the Numbers](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1VyYPAD3.m3u8) (3:45)  _Published 2010-06-10. A timeline of the Gulf oil spill, from the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion that began it, to the containment cap that has slowed the flow of oil_  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Aug 11, 2015 12:31 AM UTC  People kayak in the Animas River near Durango, Colo., in water colored from a mine waste spill. People kayak in the Animas River near Durango, Colo., in water colored from a mine waste spill. Jerry Mcbride—ZUMAPRESS.com  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Aug 11, 2015 12:31 AM UTC Scientists grappled with the consequences of a [spill of toxic wastewater](http://time.com/3987958/mine-spiller-yellow-river-colorado/) on Monday, one day after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that an accident had led to 3 million gallons of mining runoff flowing into a river in Colorado used for drinking water. But researchers who study water resources in the region say the spill, while significant on its own, is just the latest example of the much broader problem of water contamination from mining processes. “In the Rocky Mountain area, acid rock and acid mine drainage is a major water quality problem,” said Diane McKnight, a professor civil, environmental and architectural engineering at the University of Colorado. “This is certainly an unfortunate event, but the impact of acid rock and acid rock drainage is well recognized and understood in Colorado.” Acid drainage results when water flows through acidic minerals that have been exposed due to mining. Water that contains these minerals in high volumes becomes unsafe for drinking. Colorado alone has hundreds of mines that have created acid drainage—but rarely on the scale of last week’s incident. Last week’s event was the result of an accident inadvertently caused by EPA workers looking into reports that a mine was leaking contaminated water. During the process, loose material gave way and released millions of gallons of contaminated water, turning the Animas River orange and yielding it unusable for days. Water is still spilling into the river at a rate of 500 gallons per minute, though the EPA has set up a filtering system aimed at removing toxic elements, including copper, lead and manganese, according to regional EPA administrator Shaun McGrath. Still, officials urged local residents to await further tests, which should happen within the next few days, before using the water. The river has been temporarily disconnected from the public water supply. The consequences of last week’s incident could have lasting repercussions. Events like heavy rain and melting snow that disturb sediment settled at the bottom of the river may release some of the toxic minerals deposited there by the spill. If that happens, local officials will need a game plan to test the water and inform those who may be at risk, said Williams. The spill has angered local residents, many of whom depend on the river for livestock and tourist businesses. Still, this is hardly the first mining wastewater spill in the area. Largely due to mine pollution, the water doesn’t support a very robust ecosystem, though some organisms manage to live in it. “It’s not correct to say these are lifeless streams,” said McKnight. “There’s certainly bacteria and some algae growing.” Ultimately, Williams says he hopes the incident raises awareness about the bigger problem of mines polluting waterways throughout the region. The technology exists, Williams says, and efforts by the EPA and other agencies to remediate toxic sites need to be funded fully. “You hear about pollution, it doesn’t really register,” he said. “Then you see this blob of yellow running down the river.” ## Transcript April 20th. An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig kills 11 workers. 5, 000 feet beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, crude oil spews from a well 13, 000 feet under the seabed. According to government and BP estimates, it's leaking 42, 000 gallons a day. April 22nd, the $ 560 million rig sinks. Observers spot a 5- mile long oil slick. BP applies 1, 900 gallons of an oil disperse set to mitigate the rolling slick. That makes the oil break up and sink below the surface. April 25th, BP uses robots to activate a blowout preventer. But because the blowout preventer is damaged, and it's too difficult at 5, 000 feet for robots to do that work, the operation fails. April 28th, the coast guard begins controlled fires to burn off the oil from the surface in an attempt to slow the spread of the slick. BP continues to apply chemical dispersants on the surface. The government revises the leak estimates-- 210, 000 gallons a day. May 2nd, BP begins work on two relief wells scheduled for completion by August. May 5th, BP tows a 98- ton containment chamber to the site of the leak. May 6th, the oil slick reaches the shores of the Chandeleur Islands. May 7th, BP lowers the containment on to the floor of the ocean. It places it on top of the leaky riser pipe, hoping to capture the oil and gas, and pump it to the surface. A slush of frozen oil an sediment clogs the dome's intake. The effort fails. May 14th, BP constructs a pipe. It's a mile long. At one end, the leak, at the other, a tanker on the surface collects the oil. It works, collecting 84, 000 gallons a day, barely making a debt. May 26th, top kill and junk shot. BP drops mud, shredded tires, and rubber balls into the leak to stem the flow and seal it with cement. May 29th, top kill and junk shot failed. The oil breaks through unabated. By some estimates, up to a quarter of a million barrels of oil are floating on the surface of the Gulf. Scientists discovered the 830, 000 gallons of dispersants sprayed throughout the Gulf and at the well head have caused massive clouds of beaded oil to hover at mid depths. They further discover a 6- mile wide and 22- mile long cloud of the beaded oil threatening a vital underwater rainforest, the DeSoto Canyon, 20 miles northeast of the Deepwater Horizon wreck site. May 27th, scientists confirmed the spill is the worst in U. S. history, surpassing the Exxon Valdez with a leak rate between 504 and 798, 000 gallons a day. And that's the estimate at the low end. May 31st, BP begins a new operation, cut the riser pipe and seal it with a fitted dome. June 1st, oil reaches the barrier islands off Mississippi and Alabama. June 2nd, 88, 000 square miles of federal fisheries are declared off limits. June 3rd, BP succeeds in shearing up one section of the riser. But a massive saw is stuck while making further needed cuts. June 4th, BP successfully connects the containment cap to the shorn riser, and begins pumping oil to tanker ships on the surface. June 7th, BP claims 10, 000 barrels a day are being captured. 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