Animas River

We continue to see Black Hawk helicopters and river sleds going up and down the river. Friends are telling me representatives of the EPA are coming to their homes asking them how much money it will take to sign a piece of paper so they will not sue. Off course they are refusing to sign to see what happens to the water wells 25ft from the Animas River. They have been approached several times. Hmmm. I'm not normally a paranoid individual but approaching the citizens living next to the river to sign a piece of paper indicating they will not sue I find interesting. One of my closest friends has drilled more wells in the area then the rest combined and he suggests it may be 6-12 months before any residue from the sludge shows up in their well. EPA is indicating the water well receives water from another source besides the river. Really? This I find humorous being that the well is 25ft from the river and is primarily sand and gravel. Come on EPA. Maybe you need to turn your interest back to shutting down coal mines, adding crap to my diesel engine, and let the river take care of itself.

Domestic supply wells near the river should have been sampled by now. Test for "Cam 17 metals".

This late in the season, and I'm just taking an educated guess, the river is "gaining" which means that groundwater adjacent to it flows into the river. Late winter and spring will create a "losing" river condition which means that water will flow from the river and into adjacent underground zones which could include your friend's well. Therefore, folks should be concerned more with their water quality during late winter and spring during runoff. Good luck!

You're spot on Giggitoni!

Like to hear from a well driller or water MA agent specialist...but my understanding is surface water does not necessarily have a lot to do with stratified aquifers.

Otherwise many wells drilled near the ocean would all be salt water.

Sure there is salt infiltration..but usuallybonly in areas where the deman outpaced the aquifer for some time.

Again..no expert here..would like to hear from one though.

ufish2 said:

You're spot on Giggitoni!

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For good reason. If my employer experiences an environmental mishap that requires professional mitigation I have his phone number in my Rolodex.

psneeld said:

Like to hear from a well driller or water MA agent specialist...but my understanding is surface water does not necessarily have a lot to do with stratified aquifers.

Otherwise many wells drilled near the ocean would all be salt water.

Sure there is salt infiltration..but usuallybonly in areas where the deman outpaced the aquifer for some time.

Again..no expert here..would like to hear from one though.

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I'm a hydrogeologist.

I'm certainly no expert but I assisted drilling many wells putting myself through college along the Animas river. Depending upon where you are in the Animas Valley the bedrock was 20 ft. to an undetermined depth because no one has drilled to a depth to hit bedrock north of Durango. The sand had to be blown with a air compressor while the steel casing essentially fell through the sand. The higher up the valley the shallower the sand. Many wells were drilled very close to the river for commercial and domestic use expecting to draw water from the river. The state requires a well to be cemented to seal off surface water. Not sure the water came from up stream or close to the well. I can tell you the EPA is testing all wells close to the river. I have daily discussions with the gentlemen that I worked for that is considered the "expert" in drilling wells in the Animas Valley for over 40 years. He said 100% of the water in the Animas Valley comes from the Animas river. On occasion a well was drilled and a test well was required to be drilled 50ft away. The test well would be pumped drawing the water level down in the other well next to the river. It would appear the water came directly from the river.
I apologize if I come across defensive. Everyone is pissed at the EPA for their blunder and many locals are beginning to support the geologist letter to the editor in the Silverton newspaper suggesting EPA would intentionally do something to prevent further mining. Regardless it is pretty remarkable the retired geologist would have the foresight to predict the catastrophic event a week before it occurred while living in his second home in Silverton.

In any "public well system" serving over 15 connections there should already be a historical base line for over 273 known toxins and chemicals from that source water well. Wells are by nature create what one may refer to as a cone of influence. While no geo. formation is perfect if you would imagine one where all materials drilled through were of the same material the well would draw water in a cone shape with the bottom of the well being the bottom of the cone. The volume of the well along with the differences in material all serve to distort this perfect cone. Yes, it takes time for the toxins to pass through the materials and some are by nature filtered out below the levels of the river. Surface water directly influencing a well is possible especially if the grouting is old or was never installed (usually not a requirement on personal wells).
These toxins and especially heavy metals are naturally occurring and you can find them just about anywhere but in the quantities associated with this disaster they will be with us for a very very long time.
One of the earliest "gold rushes" in the U.S. was here in N. Ga. About 200 years ago and it is still effecting the water quality on some of our streams and wells. A small community located on Bean Creek in White County Ga. all on private wells was studied to determine the cause of high cancer and death rates in that community. Mining by-products from 200 years ago was found to be the culprit. I was able to supply and install a new distribution system in that community and they are now served by the county water system. There will be no easy cure for this contamination.

OK now....experts in...ps out!

psneeld said:

OK now....experts in...ps out!

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Wish you could have said "experts in, toxins out".

psneeld said:

If referring to me as a toxin....good...salt is very deadly...but very necessary for survival...

Some things are just inert.....

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I was referring to the situation in Durango. We have family there and seem to visit every couple of years. Really, who wants to visit a toxic waste dump and who wants to worry about their family getting ill from this water.

I am no expert but I play one on TV

This is my former Company I was part owner of I am a geotechnical engineer

Comanco Environmental Services - COMANCO, for over 25 years first choice for Safety, Quality and Service

Now I have not worked in the industry for many years but the superfund bidding in the late 80s and early 90s was ridiculous companies many times would win low Bid and had incorporated the month before ( I sold my portion in the early 90s just 3 years after we founded the company )

I would really like to see more of the details

According to Durango Herald the Animas River is suitable for normal use. This includes drawing water for city water treatment plant. Stream sediment samples are at pre breach levels, meaning only colored water (think rusty ferrous ion) was released and no solid waste, so says the state and Feds.

Now if the EPA statements are to be believed, why was aggressive remediation occurring in the first place as compared to nothing more than pH control via lime addition and a retention pond? This is common throughout the Rocky Mountains at old mining sites. My guess, contractor was playing around.

There is peace in the Valley, maybe.

Smoke and Mirrors. I am wondering what "suitable for normal use" actually means. When one withdraws water for supplying a municipal surface water treatment plant the water will be going through several stages of treatment that allows for the removal of those toxins and is monitored before leaving the treatment plant. Not so for a well water supplied drinking water source or the farmers using it for irrigation and/or cattle. The maximum contamination level (MCL) for mercury is .002 mg/l or 2 parts per BILLION.

Went to Durango this morning. The farmers are irrigating. The river was opened up for recreational use. There were several places along the river where remnants of the yellow deposits were visible. Have no idea what the deposits consist of. Big sign in Aztec south of Durango stating they are on water restrictions. This will probably all blow over. EPA will get what they wanted to shut mining down in Silverton. I'll go back to reading the interesting posts on the trawler forum and live happily ever after.