After reading the story headlined “New Mexico officials say rivers still tainted,” (Herald, March 16) I was left with a few unanswered questions, so I called up Dennis McQuillen, chief scientist for the New Mexico Environmental Department. What he had to say was alarming.
He had traveled up to Durango and tested the sediment along the banks of the Animas River. He found that the sediment contained 1,100 to 1,500 parts per million of lead contaminant along the banks. Now the EPA has declared that 20,000 ppm of lead contaminant is considered safe for recreational use of the river. However, this conclusion is not appropriate for those living along the river banks or those who are on the river most days. For residential exposure and high-use professions, i.e., fly-fishing guides or river raft guides, the appropriate risk exposure is 400 ppm. For children, the exposure is especially dangerous as they are still developing. It is not only the exposure to the toxic sediment, which also includes arsenic, but the sequestration of all metals into the ground water.
New Mexico is discovering 200-300 ppm of lead in the water that must be treated by municipal water treatment plants down to 15 ppm or face charges and fines by the EPA. The irony is not lost on the scientists. Now, if you live along the river and have a well, like I do, then the water is not being treated. And although I did have my water tested back in October, that does not mean it will be safe to drink when the spring runoff arrives due to sequestration.
The Gold King Mine released toxic sediment down the Animas River last August. Much of that toxic sediment is still lining the banks of the Animas and San Juan rivers, waiting to be absorbed through your bare feet, inhalation or consumption. Just because Gov. Hickenlooper took one sip of the Animas while visiting does not address long-term exposure.
Travis Wright
Durango
