401kRollover Blog

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has now taken “full responsibility,” according to Gina McCarthy, EPA’s administrator, for the accidental release of millions of gallons of toxic waste into the water systems of Colorado and neighboring states. The toxic sludge, which contains contaminants like arsenic and lead, will cost millions of taxpayer dollars to clean up now and years into the future. The Attorney Generals of Colorado, New Mexico and Utah have said they will ensure they remain “vigilant,” due to the massive economic and environmental damage of the spill, which emanated from an abandoned mine situated high in San Juan mountains.

The spill may also prove devastating to the Navajo Nation – their farmers desperately need to irrigate corn and alfalfa crops right before the forthcoming harvest. Until the water supply is clear, they face the prospect of losing those crops, which, for many, are the sole source of income for the year. Hydrologist Tom Myers of Nevada says toxicity levels in the rivers will remain “for a long time,” adding that “every time there’s a high flow, it will stir it up and it will be moving those contaminants downstream.” Ryan Flynn, the environmental secretary of New Mexico, is concerned about the “longer-term issues that affect humans as well as wildlife.”

If you are concerned about the millions of dollars of your taxes that are required to clean up and put right this EPA-supervised blunder, please Like & Share this post.