Who was responsible for cleaning the 2015 Gold King Mine waste water spill?
The EPA
The EPA took responsibility for the incident. The EPA had notified local residents of the spill 24 hours after it occurred, a delay which the press and local officials criticized.
What type of pollution was the Gold King Mine Spill?
toxic wastewater
The Gold King Mine spill occurred at the Gold King Mine—an abandoned mine near Silverton, Colorado—in August 2015. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) personnel and a company under EPA contract triggered the release of toxic wastewater in an attempt to remove such wastewater from the mine.
What are the main sources of water pollutants?
The main point source of pollution to water is from sewage and waste water treatment, while for diffuse pollution, main sources are from farming and fossil fuel power plants (via the air).
What happened in the 2015 Gold King Mine waste water spill?
On August 5, 2015, U.S. EPA was conducting an investigation of the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado. While excavating as part of the investigation, water began leaking from the mine tunnel, and about three million gallons of water and sediment were released into Cement Creek, a tributary of the Animas River.
How did the EPA respond to the Gold King Mine Spill?
To date, EPA has dedicated more than $29 million to address the Gold King Mine incident, including more than $2 million in Clean Water Act grants and $3,529,231.10 in reimbursements for emergency response expenses under CERCLA.
Is the Animas River still polluted?
But it’s a slow process, and the river is in many ways still in recovery from the decades of mining near Silverton that produced gold, silver and uranium among metals and a seemingly endless flow of pollution that is still dogging the Animas watershed.
How did the EPA respond to the Gold King Mine spill?
How did they clean up the Gold King Mine spill?
As water exits the mine, the water flows into a system of four treatment ponds. The treatment ponds provide retention time to allow the addition of lime to neutralize the pH. Substances to treat water are added during the process to settle the metals to the bottom of the retention ponds.
What are the four major water pollutants?
The main water pollutants include bacteria, viruses, parasites, fertilisers, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, nitrates, phosphates, plastics, faecal waste and even radioactive substances. These substances do not always change the colour of the water, meaning that they are often invisible pollutants.
How was the 2015 Gold King Mine cleaned up?
On August 5, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began clearing material from the opening of the Gold King Mine in Silverton, Colorado, to install a pipe to pump water out of the mine.
What are the most common water pollutants?
Believe it or not, an excess of nutrients is one of the most common water pollutants. A common example of nutrient pollution occurs on farmland where fertilizers from farmers end up polluting surrounding water sources. Phosphorus and nitrogen are common polluters which encourage algae to grow.
What are the main causes of water pollution?
Chemical pollution from agriculture, industry, cities, and mining threatens global water quality. Air pollutants from these activities can also enter bodies of water (and become water pollutants) through dry deposition, precipitation, and runoff.
Is the use of road salt harmful to aquatic life in streams?
Figure 20.1.1. f: A snow plow and road salt application truck that is used to clear snow and ice from roadways for improving traffic and pedestrian safety. The use of salt to deice pavement can be harmful to aquatic life in urban streams. Image and caption (modified) from USGS (public domain).
How do air pollutants enter bodies of water?
Air pollutants from these activities can also enter bodies of water (and become water pollutants) through dry deposition, precipitation, and runoff. Some chemical pollutants have serious and well-known health effects, whereas many others have poorly known long-term health effects.