San Juan Basin Health’s Water Program Manager Brian Devine, right, and Marcie Bidwell of the Mountain Studies Institute sample water on May 6 from the Animas River at the area known as Paradise Beach. Health department staff will be available at two events this week to talk about river monitoring in the wake of the Aug. 5, 2015 Gold King Mine spill.

Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald file

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San Juan Basin Health’s Water Program Manager Brian Devine, right, and Marcie Bidwell of the Mountain Studies Institute sample water on May 6 from the Animas River at the area known as Paradise Beach. Health department staff will be available at two events this week to talk about river monitoring in the wake of the Aug. 5, 2015 Gold King Mine spill.

Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald file

San Juan Basin Health staff will be available tonight (Wednesday) at A Celebration of the Animas from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Powerhouse Science Center to answer questions about the river.

The department and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment monitor and provide information on Animas River water quality, and recently provided a year in review report to discuss water quality since the Aug. 5, 2015 Gold King Mine spill. The blowout released three million gallons of acid mine drainage into Cement Creek, a tributary of the Animas River.

Wednesday’s free event is sponsored by the Animas River Community Forum in conjunction with the annual San Juan Mining and Reclamation Conference, which takes place Thursday and Friday in Durango and Silverton and will delve into issues surrounding the mine spill.

San Juan County Public Health experts also will be available to answer questions at Silverton SuperFunDays, a free celebration of the Silverton community from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in Memorial Park in Silverton.