The Animas River in southwest Colorado turned bright orange on Wednesday after a mining and safety team working on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spilled a million gallons of mine waste from the abandoned Gold King Mine in San Juan County.
According to the AP, the team was working with heavy equipment to secure an entrance to mine when they accidentally triggered the large gush that reportedly caused the Cement Creek’s water levels to rise two to three feet.
“The project was intended to pump and treat the water and reduce metals pollution flowing out of the mine,” EPA spokesman Rich Mylott said in a statement.
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