The Gold King Mine Spill: Can it Impact Water Users below the Lake Power Reservoir and Yuma Farmers?

On Wednesday August 5, 2015, during an EPA mine site investigation of the Gold King Mine near Silverton, CO, heavy equipment caused an unexpected release of acid mine drainage trapped inside a mine tunnel (Fig. 1). Approximately 3 million gallons of acid mine drainage went into Cement Creek that flows into the Animas River. A sample of the water was analyzed and found to contain several heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium. The spill turned the normally clear waters of the Animas river to a murky, yellow color flowing down into the San Juan River, where they mixed with its muddy waters that ultimately flow into Lake Powell. Therefore, the spill had the potential to reach the lower part of the Colorado River and the Yuma valley farming community in Arizona.