If you are at all concerned about contaminated sediments in the Animas River, you should be looking very closely at the actions of the city of Durango. It is proposing to dig up and reconstruct the entire river bed just upstream from Smelters Rapid.
There is little we can do about contaminated sediment in the river other than not disturb it and hope that future high flows will move and bury the contaminants. The heavy metals from the Gold King spill, and from over 100 years mining contamination, are not the only concerns. Radioactive mill tailings were dumped into the Animas directly upstream of the proposed excavations. These tailings – including hundreds, if not thousands, of tons of uranium as well as pounds of radium with a half life of 1,620 years – were dumped into the Animas for over a decade. Where these dangerous radioactive elements ended up is anyone’s guess since nobody has looked for them.
But what should be everyone’s concern is that the river sediments remain undisturbed. When disturbed, the heavy metals and radioactive materials risk being mobilized into the environment, contaminating the water, downstream sediments, land and river life. And disturbing these sediments is exactly what the city is proposing.
The city’s excavation of the riverbed is “necessary” because of the faulty engineering and construction of the kayak park directly downstream. The city is dealing with forces it does not understand.
The proposed action is similar to cutting off the table leg without a measuring tape. And there is no expectation the city will get it right this time. The public has no assurance this will be the last time the city excavates the river bed.
Will this mobilize contaminated sediment into the Animas? No one knows because no one has done the studies. At a bare minimum, the city should be required to test the sediment before excavating the river bed.
Michael Black Taxpayers for the Animas River
Durango
