Midtown Blogger/Manhattan Valley Follies: Wastewater from Colorado EPA Glitches Reaches New Mexico- Associated Press

Wastewater from Colorado mine reaches New Mexico

The Associated Press - By By IVAN MORENO and JACQUES BILLEAUD - Associated Press

27 minutes ago

Travis Sells, of Farmington, N.M., looks at the orange sludge from a mine spill upstream flowing past Berg Park in Farmington Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015. About 1 million gallons of wastewater from Colorado's Gold King Mine began spilling into the Animas River on Wednesday when a cleanup crew supervised by the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally breached a debris dam that had formed inside the mine. The mine has been inactive since 1923. (Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP)

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Onlookers view the Animas River from a bridge as orange sludge from a mine spill upstream flows past Berg Park in Farmington, N.M., Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015. About 1 million gallons of wastewater from Colorado's Gold King Mine began spilling into the Animas River on Wednesday when a cleanup crew supervised by the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally breached a debris dam that had formed inside the mine. The mine has been inactive since 1923. (Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP)

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A warning sign from the city is displayed in front of the Animas River as orange sludge from a mine spill upstream flows past Berg Park in Farmington, N.M., Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015. About 1 million gallons of wastewater from Colorado's Gold King Mine began spilling into the Animas River on Wednesday when a cleanup crew supervised by the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally breached a debris dam that had formed inside the mine. The mine has been inactive since 1923. (Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP)

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Ducks wade in the Animas River as orange sludge from a mine spill upstream flows past Berg Park in Farmington, N.M., Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015. About 1 million gallons of wastewater from Colorado's Gold King Mine began spilling into the Animas River on Wednesday when a cleanup crew supervised by the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally breached a debris dam that had formed inside the mine. The mine has been inactive since 1923( Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP)

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A toxic sludge flows down the Animas River through Durango Colo, on Friday, Aug. 7, 2015, after the Gold King Mine north of Silverton Colo., spilled heavy minerals into the river on Wednesday. Federal environmental officials say it's too early to know whether heavy metals that spilled into a river from a Colorado mine pose a health risk. (Jerry McBride(/The Durango Herald via AP)

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Stephanie Schuler, right, and Steve McClung, center, of Colorado Parks & Wildlife, and Mike Japhet, left, a retired aquatic biologist working with CP&W, check on cages with Rainbow trout fingerlings on Friday Aug. 7, 2015, on the Animas River in Durango, Colo. CP&W spokesman Joe Lewandowski said of 108 fish in cages placed in three separate areas of the river, only one had died as of Friday. (Steve Lewis/The Durango Herald via AP)

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As the Animas River begins to recede it reveals a sludge left behind just north of Durango Colo., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2015, from the Gold King Mine spillage that happened on Wednesday north of Silverton Colo. Federal environmental officials say it's too early to know whether heavy metals that spilled into a river from a Colorado mine pose a health risk. (Jerry McBride(/The Durango Herald via AP)

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Residents sit on the edge of the river while waiting a glimpse of the mine wastewater that spilled into the river earlier in the day on Aug. 6, 2015 along Animas River in Durango, Colo. Over a million gallons of mine wastewater has made it's way into the Animas River closing the river and put the city of Durango on alert. (Brent Lewis/The Denver Post via AP) MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; NO SALES; NEW YORK POST OUT; NEW YORK DAILY NEWS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

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Travis Sells, of Farmington, N.M., looks at the orange sludge from a mine spill upstream flowing past Berg Park in Farmington Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015. About 1 million gallons of wastewater from Colorado's Gold King Mine began spilling into the Animas River on Wednesday when a cleanup crew supervised by the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally breached a debris dam that had formed inside the mine. The mine has been inactive since 1923. (Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP)

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Onlookers view the Animas River from a bridge as orange sludge from a mine spill upstream flows past Berg Park in Farmington, N.M., Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015. About 1 million gallons of wastewater from Colorado's Gold King Mine began spilling into the Animas River on Wednesday when a cleanup crew supervised by the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally breached a debris dam that had formed inside the mine. The mine has been inactive since 1923. (Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP)

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A warning sign from the city is displayed in front of the Animas River as orange sludge from a mine spill upstream flows past Berg Park in Farmington, N.M., Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015. About 1 million gallons of wastewater from Colorado's Gold King Mine began spilling into the Animas River on Wednesday when a cleanup crew supervised by the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally breached a debris dam that had formed inside the mine. The mine has been inactive since 1923. (Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP)

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Ducks wade in the Animas River as orange sludge from a mine spill upstream flows past Berg Park in Farmington, N.M., Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015. About 1 million gallons of wastewater from Colorado's Gold King Mine began spilling into the Animas River on Wednesday when a cleanup crew supervised by the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally breached a debris dam that had formed inside the mine. The mine has been inactive since 1923( Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP)

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A toxic sludge flows down the Animas River through Durango Colo, on Friday, Aug. 7, 2015, after the Gold King Mine north of Silverton Colo., spilled heavy minerals into the river on Wednesday. Federal environmental officials say it's too early to know whether heavy metals that spilled into a river from a Colorado mine pose a health risk. (Jerry McBride(/The Durango Herald via AP)

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Stephanie Schuler, right, and Steve McClung, center, of Colorado Parks & Wildlife, and Mike Japhet, left, a retired aquatic biologist working with CP&W, check on cages with Rainbow trout fingerlings on Friday Aug. 7, 2015, on the Animas River in Durango, Colo. CP&W spokesman Joe Lewandowski said of 108 fish in cages placed in three separate areas of the river, only one had died as of Friday. (Steve Lewis/The Durango Herald via AP)

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As the Animas River begins to recede it reveals a sludge left behind just north of Durango Colo., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2015, from the Gold King Mine spillage that happened on Wednesday north of Silverton Colo. Federal environmental officials say it's too early to know whether heavy metals that spilled into a river from a Colorado mine pose a health risk. (Jerry McBride(/The Durango Herald via AP)

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Residents sit on the edge of the river while waiting a glimpse of the mine wastewater that spilled into the river earlier in the day on Aug. 6, 2015 along Animas River in Durango, Colo. Over a million gallons of mine wastewater has made it's way into the Animas River closing the river and put the city of Durango on alert. (Brent Lewis/The Denver Post via AP) MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; NO SALES; NEW YORK POST OUT; NEW YORK DAILY NEWS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

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Travis Sells, of Farmington, N.M., looks at the orange sludge from a mine spill upstream flowing past Berg Park in Farmington Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015. About 1 million gallons of wastewater from Colorado's Gold King Mine began spilling into the Animas River on Wednesday when a cleanup crew supervised by the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally breached a debris dam that had formed inside the mine. The mine has been inactive since 1923. (Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP)

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Onlookers view the Animas River from a bridge as orange sludge from a mine spill upstream flows past Berg Park in Farmington, N.M., Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015. About 1 million gallons of wastewater from Colorado's Gold King Mine began spilling into the Animas River on Wednesday when a cleanup crew supervised by the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally breached a debris dam that had formed inside the mine. The mine has been inactive since 1923. (Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP)

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A warning sign from the city is displayed in front of the Animas River as orange sludge from a mine spill upstream flows past Berg Park in Farmington, N.M., Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015. About 1 million gallons of wastewater from Colorado's Gold King Mine began spilling into the Animas River on Wednesday when a cleanup crew supervised by the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally breached a debris dam that had formed inside the mine. The mine has been inactive since 1923. (Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP)

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Ducks wade in the Animas River as orange sludge from a mine spill upstream flows past Berg Park in Farmington, N.M., Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015. About 1 million gallons of wastewater from Colorado's Gold King Mine began spilling into the Animas River on Wednesday when a cleanup crew supervised by the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally breached a debris dam that had formed inside the mine. The mine has been inactive since 1923( Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times via AP)

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A toxic sludge flows down the Animas River through Durango Colo, on Friday, Aug. 7, 2015, after the Gold King Mine north of Silverton Colo., spilled heavy minerals into the river on Wednesday. Federal environmental officials say it's too early to know whether heavy metals that spilled into a river from a Colorado mine pose a health risk. (Jerry McBride(/The Durango Herald via AP)

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Stephanie Schuler, right, and Steve McClung, center, of Colorado Parks & Wildlife, and Mike Japhet, left, a retired aquatic biologist working with CP&W, check on cages with Rainbow trout fingerlings on Friday Aug. 7, 2015, on the Animas River in Durango, Colo. CP&W spokesman Joe Lewandowski said of 108 fish in cages placed in three separate areas of the river, only one had died as of Friday. (Steve Lewis/The Durango Herald via AP)

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As the Animas River begins to recede it reveals a sludge left behind just north of Durango Colo., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2015, from the Gold King Mine spillage that happened on Wednesday north of Silverton Colo. Federal environmental officials say it's too early to know whether heavy metals that spilled into a river from a Colorado mine pose a health risk. (Jerry McBride(/The Durango Herald via AP)

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Residents sit on the edge of the river while waiting a glimpse of the mine wastewater that spilled into the river earlier in the day on Aug. 6, 2015 along Animas River in Durango, Colo. Over a million gallons of mine wastewater has made it's way into the Animas River closing the river and put the city of Durango on alert. (Brent Lewis/The Denver Post via AP) MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; NO SALES; NEW YORK POST OUT; NEW YORK DAILY NEWS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

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Mustard-colored wastewater laced with heavy metals continues to drain into a river from an abandoned mine in southwestern Colorado at a rate of about 550 gallons per minute, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which caused the spill.

The rate of discharge Saturday was down from about 740 gallons per minute on Friday. But three days after the massive spill, the agency said it still didn't know what the possible environmental and health impacts are.

The agency said it hoped to have a thorough lab analysis of the contaminants — which include lead and arsenic — as soon as Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

"We're busting our tails to get that out," he said. "We know the importance to people to have this information."

In the meantime, the EPA said it had finished building two containment ponds to treat the yellow sludge. However, the ponds are meant to immediately address the spill and cleanup efforts will likely take a long time. McGrath could not say whether that means days or weeks.

"This is a long-term impact. The sediment, the metals that are in that sediment are going to settle out to the stream bottom," he said. "As we have storm surges, as we have flooding events, that sediment can and likely will get kicked back up into the water. We're going to have to do ongoing monitoring."

About 1 million gallons of wastewater from Colorado's Gold King Mine began spilling into the Animas River on Wednesday when an EPA-supervised cleanup crew accidentally breached a debris dam that had formed inside the mine.

The mine has been inactive since 1923.

The plume reached the northern New Mexico cities of Aztec on Friday night, and Farmington on Saturday morning. Local government officials in New Mexico and Colorado have blasted the EPA, saying they didn't alert communities soon after the spill and that answers have been slow in coming.

2015 The Associated Press

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