Colorado mine spill three times worse than first reported, emergencies declared
The Navajo Nation also plans to sue, as the toxic water is running through their territory.
Hickenlooper declared a state of disaster emergency on Monday in order to "ensure public safety and minimize environmental impacts." The order will allow the state to move $500,000 from the state emergency fund towards response efforts.
“By declaring a disaster emergency, we are able to better support impacted businesses and communities with state resources. We will work closely with the EPA to continue to measure water quality as it returns to normal, but also to work together to assess other mines throughout the state to make sure this doesn’t happen again," the governor added in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Navajo Nation also declared an emergency as some of its communities feel the impact of the spill. Intake systems at some drinking water networks have already been shut down, the Associated Press reported.
The US Environmental Protection Agency had originally reported that one million gallons of waste product from the abandoned Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado had spilled into the Animas beginning on Wednesday. The EPA determined the updated amount using a stream gauge, according to the Associated Press.
In addition to arsenic and lead, federal officials said the spill contains, cadmium, aluminum, copper, and calcium.
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http://www.rt.com/usa/312105-animas-river-spill-gallons/