US environment agency under fire over spill

Colorado and New Mexico have declared a 100-mile (161-kilometer) long stretch of waterways disaster areas Monday after 3 million gallons (11.36 liters) of mine waste containing arsenic, lead and other metals rolled downstream after being accidentally released from an abandoned gold mine.

"We will work closely with the EPA to continue to measure water quality as it returns to normal, but also to work together to assess other mines throughout the state to make sure this doesn't happen again," Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said in a written statement released by his office following his declaration of a state of emergency.

The Navajo Nation, a sovereign Native American tribe whose territory covers parts of New Mexico, Utah and Arizona, also declared an emergency as it shut down water intake systems and stopped diverting water from the San Juan River.

Workers with the US Environmental Protection Agency - the top environmental protection agency in the country - accidentally unleashed the spill Wednesday as federal and contract workers inspected the abandoned Gold King mine site near Silverton, Colorado.

The region's waters have already been degraded due to a heavy history of environmentally unsound mining practices and the EPA says much of the contamination will likely settle to the river bottom and not represent a health hazard.

No impacts on wildlife reported

Federal officials say no die-off of wildlife along the river has yet been detected. But that hasn't kept complaints from raining in as residents grasp for answers.

"There are more people who want to know, 'OK, what's going to happen now? Are you going to fix this?'" said Michele Truby-Tillen, a spokeswoman for the San Juan County Office of Emergency Management in New Mexico. "'How are we going to protect our families? How long am I not going to be able to shower at my house?'"

State and federal officials along the river system have ordered public water systems to turn off intake valves as the orange water flows downstream.

jar/gsw (AP, Reuters)