The Environmental Protection Agency recently released videos of the Gold King Mine spill in Colorado. The spill resulted in 3 million gallons of toxic wastewater spilling into the Animas River.
The videos are a candid look into what EPA workers saw when they arrived at the scene.
“This is not good,” one man says off camera as thick, yellow sludge flows from the mine.
“What do we do now?” another one asks in a separate clip.
Since the August 5 spill, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and the Navajo Nation have reported finding traces of contaminated water. Environmentalists in Arizona are beginning to worry that a similar accident could happen in one of the numerous abandoned mines throughout the state.
In efforts to inform the public and “maintain the greatest degree of transparency,” the EPA has released nearly 20 videos taken shortly after the spill and from the weeks following cleanup efforts. The videos, taken by agency staff, depict the severity of the spill and include explanations from workers on the scene.
Warning: Some of the videos contain profanities. The rest of the clips can be found at the EPA’s website.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency
Source: Environmental Protection Agency
Source: Environmental Protection Agency
Source: Environmental Protection Agency