In the aftermath of the Gold King Mine spill, local officials realized that the high water of the spring runoff could stir up sediment left in the Animas River by the spill. That, of course, concerns everyone with any connection to the river.
The result is a cooperative effort involving a series of agencies to monitor the river closely for signs of pollution or other problems. It is an imaginative plan with outstanding possibilities and all concerned deserve thanks.
Called the Animas River Alert and Notification Plan, the idea is not so much to raise alarms with the public as to get timely information to the right people who can then make informed judgments about the health of the river.
Working together on this are La Plata County, San Juan County, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, state and local health departments, the Colorado Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and others. And on Tuesday, the Durango City Council unanimously adopted the plan.
Designated river spotters trained to recognize and report changes to the river are also to be included. In that category would be law enforcement officials, irrigation ditch operators in the Animas Valley, river guides and possibly others involved with river-oriented recreation.
Technology is at work, too. In March and April, the U.S. Geological Survey placed sensors in the river that measure factors such as water temperature, clarity and acidity. If any of those register out of parameters, local researchers are alerted via any or all of several methods including phone calls, email and text messages. They then can physically inspect the river for serious changes or problems.
Again, the point is to monitor conditions and get a good handle on exactly what, if any, residual effects were left by the spill and what those might mean to river users and nearby residents. The San Juan Basin Health Department will be in the lead in determining what sampling shows and what those results indicate.
And spill-related residue is only one aspect of the plan. Tracking the river’s condition will also work to alert officials of possible flooding, landslides or other non-Gold King sources of pollution.
Tied with this is the Durango-La Plata Emergency Communication Center’s CodeRed system that allows notifications to be sent to the right officials almost instantly. CodeRed also allows alerts to be targeted to affected residents and to members of the public who have opted in to specific areas of concern.
Were there to be another episode like the Gold King spill, officials would have an additional few hours notice at a time when every minute could count. And in other emergency situations, that time could be a matter of life and death.
This is emergency preparedness at its best – forward looking, collaborative and working across different agencies to bring in the top people in a variety of disciplines. All involved deserve thanks.
