Where to begin? Much has transpired since last Saturday when I posted my first diary on this calamity. ( http://www.dailykos.com/... ) Sadly, so much has been said, so much denied or blurred, so many facts produced without their implications made known that teasing out only a few words is nearly an insurmountable task. I shall try, feeble as my attempt may be.
Photo courtesy of The Durango Herald
Let me begin by saying that The Animas River appears much better today than it did 4 days ago. It is now a somewhat sickly green color. It remains closed to all users today--in fact, we're told no decisions will be made on re-opening the river until August 17th.
Photo courtesy of The Mountain Studies Intitute
There are still remnants of orange frothy sludge along the banks in spots, but they are generally spaced far apart. We have gotten some rain since last week, which naturally--and temporarily--raises the level of the river. This in turn provides a means to flush the riverbanks. So to say, the river may look better, but as with many things in life--appearances deceive.
Today The Durango Herald published an article after the print edition had been delivered. [The Durango Herald has done some excellent reporting on this mining disaster, and has graciously removed their paywall. Therefore you will be able to access any links in this diary that lead to The Herald. I suggest you click on them--again, their reporting is outstanding] The article: http://www.durangoherald.com/...
This article states that the EPA has declared that the river has returned to pre-blowout levels of contamination. While that is nothing to brag about (there has been elevated levels of mine-related pollution for many years), I'd venture to say that that is being received as good news in Durango. However, if our river is 'back to pre-blowout levels', why is it remaining closed?
We were graced with a visit from our Governor today, a 'mere' 6 days after the catastrophe. Hickenlooper stated that he is dismayed with the EPA response. He must be apoplectic over the way the EPA had been blocked from declaring the mines a Superfund site for decades, but he didn't mention that... However, Hick & the EPA are now sparring over any number of issues, such as the EPA's timing as they responded in the immediate moments after the blowout. The EPA says, 'Hey, there is no cell phone signal where we were working(remedied by Verizon already or soon I'm told. These are rural, remote sites we are discussing. Everyone here knows there is no cell signal once you leave town & head into the mountains), and further, that the flow of toxic debris washed out their access road, preventing the egress to alert other interested parties'. Having spent many, many hours in these mountains--the EPA's story is quite believable.
Hick & the EPA are also sparring over the timing the re-opening of the river. You may read about that here: http://www.durangoherald.com/...
Already some folks are taking sides. Some believe the EPA, some want to see a cover-up. Frankly it IS hard to know who to believe. We are unable to see the problem at this point, and when one can't visualize damage we must rely on scientists for data. If you have an inherent distrust of the body producing the data, well, people take sides based on pre-conceived opinions. This will be a problem going forward, believe that.
So, what DO we know? As I said, the river does look better. That can only be good news. But it isn't the end of the story. All parties agree the invisible-to-the-naked-eye contaminants are, and will be, a problem for quite a long time. Heck, they HAVE BEEN a problem for decades. And it leads to the need to base our actions going forward on data provided by an agency our Governor is feuding with--not good.
Please pardon the fact that the diary will now jump around a bit topically as I provide links & a synopsis of published articles. First, Let me say: I believe & trust local sources & local workers. They live here, they work here, and they have no agenda other than having a clean-as-possible river at their home. So when I read that local folks have noted that only one fingerling fish has perished when put into the toxic sludge, I believe them. I am blown away that it is true, it goes against every fiber of my being, but--there it is. Only one baby fish died when placed in a canary-in-a-coalmine situation. It is hard to accept. But these folks live here and would have zero to gain by fabricating information. Here is an article stating basically what I just did: http://www.durangoherald.com/... , and from that article, a quote: "Scott Roberts, aquatic biologist with Mountain Studies Institute, collects insects from the Animas River to check their health Sunday morning near Rotary Park. The institute had been keeping an eye on the insects just before and Wednesday morning’s accidental release of toxic minerals from the Gold King Mine, and it has kept up the study after the accident. So far, Roberts says the bugs are doing all right. But he said only time will tell."
Mountain Studies Institute is an independent research group & well-respected, locally based (Silverton actually), and not prone to covering up or minimizing anything. If they say fish & bugs survived the calamity, then it is so. Their homepage is here: http://www.mountainstudies.org/
MSI has a page dedicated to what they are calling The Gold King Spill. It is an excellent read, and has very up-to-date pictures of the river. I recommend a visit to this page: http://www.mountainstudies.org/...
Another group doing outstanding reporting is 'High Country News'. They also have an great read, written by an outstanding Senior Editor there by the name of Jonathan Thompson. This guy nails down current info with a dose of history. Again, I recommend a read--you'll learn quite a bit. The article is here: http://www.hcn.org/...
A quote at the very beginning of Mr. Thompson's article is extremely telling, and sets the true stage for this event.
"The question that is crowding upon Durango thick and fast is one of water. The mill slimes from Silverton are now reaching us."
-- Durango Democrat, 1899
Yes, 189f'n9. You can see that this is not a new problem when the local Durango newspaper at the time states such a thing, no? 115 years, still a problem. This has a great deal to do with why I feel it is unfair to solely point to last week's EPA debacle as the problem. The genesis of this calamity goes back longer than anyone alive today. To pin culpability on one event a week ago is unfair in the extreme.
Hey--we had a meeting with the EPA last Sunday! I honestly don't know how to sum up that meeting. Folks were civil, confusing and unexplained numbers & graphs were shown, several poobahs & spokes-yammerers were present, and representatives of the Navajo Nation (which is now extremely affected) spoke movingly. To be sure, they are filing a lawsuit, as many of their Tribal members are now having a paltry 25 gallons PER DAY delivered as their water is not potable. Twenty five gallons a day--not enough for a shower for one person to luxuriate in, much less for an entire family to exist on. Many exist or subsist on livestock ranching. If 25 gallons/day isn't enough for a family, where does that leave their livelihood of sheep & cow ranching? A tragic situation. Here, courtesy of the Durango Herald, is a video of the meeting. Perhaps you'll find it enlightening. More likely you'll head to your liquor cabinet before it's over. At any rate, here's the video of the meeting: http://www.durangoherald.com/... The video is two hours long. The reps of The Navajo Nation begin to speak at the 1:38 mark--worth watching that portion, as I feel they speak for all residents of the Four Corners on this issue. The sustained applause they received tells much.
There was a diary earlier today by esteemed and respected Dailykos blogger Dartagnan. Dartagnan provides insight and many links into how the GOP as a whole & our local GOP Legislators here have blocked & hamstrung not only the EPA, but the local clean up efforts over the years. Dartagnan's diary is a must read for anyone seeking information on the historical political angle on this. Please visit his outstanding diary and show it some love: http://www.dailykos.com/...
I have provided enough links to keep you busy for quite a while. I hope you'll take the time to view them, as they provide more information than I ever could. I'd like to give another shout-out to the Durango Herald. They are a small town newspaper, but are on this like one with a budget of the NY Times--I tip my hat to them. They have hours of reading available, and have made it available for free to you. There is no way I could ever transcribe all of the information, so please visit their website: http://www.durangoherald.com/
I would like to close with three things. First, there was a meeting in Silverton where this all began. The Herald has an article about that meeting: http://www.durangoherald.com/...
A quote from that article: "For decades, Silverton has been a bastion of anti-Superfund sentiment, spurning the Environmental Protection Agency’s repeated attempts to list its draining mines under the federal cleanup program.
Even in the last five years, as scientists warned the metal pollution gushing out of Gold King and Red & Bonita mines was doing increasing violence to the river’s ecosystem, the town rejected EPA intervention for fear that a Superfund listing would besmirch its reputation and deter mining companies from setting up shop.
After the meeting, Gardner said he didn’t think antipathy to Superfund in Silverton was necessarily softening, though, he said, with the governor visiting the region on Tuesday, the Superfund question may already be out of Silverton’s hands."
Make of that what you wil--I sure am.
Secondly: I'm just some dude living in the area of this catastrophe. I am not a professional reporter, a river ecologist, a scientist of any sort, or speaking on behalf of anyone but myself. Please read the links and come to your own conclusions. I'd like to think you'll agree with my assessments of the information provided.
And lastly, don't believe Durango is down and out by any means. One doesn't end up living in Durango by accident--you have to work to get--AND stay here. We're tough SOB's, living in a harsh environment by choice. We won't be bamboozled by Federal or State mouthpieces, and we sure won't be giving up any time soon, as that simply isn't in our nature. I think I can say that I do speak for all here when I say: We love our home. And we sure aren't going to let anyone ruin it for us without a fight. We have many intelligent, well-educated, well-informed neighbors. Expect us to hold the accountable, accountable and the culpable folk's feet to the fire. And you can bet the farm on that!
*Adding to / updating the dairy at 8:25pm Mountain time: Here is an article regarding the fingerling fish that were used as a canary in a coalmine. They survived the onslaught of toxins in the river... http://www.durangoherald.com/...