2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
6/06/2017 | 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM | COPPER AS A SIGNATURE OF THE 2015 GOLD KING MINE RELEASE: EVIDENCE FROM BED SEDIMENTS AND BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES IN THE ANIMAS RIVER | 306A
COPPER AS A SIGNATURE OF THE 2015 GOLD KING MINE RELEASE: EVIDENCE FROM BED SEDIMENTS AND BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES IN THE ANIMAS RIVER
The 2015 Gold King Mine release sent 3 million gallons of acidic, metal-rich water down Cement Creek and the Animas River in southern Colorado. Assessment of aquatic effects associated with the release is confounded by the fact that numerous mines in the Silverton, Colorado area have impacted receiving waters since the advent of mining in the 1870s. Proper assessment of aquatic effects requires data describing conditions before and after the release, and upstream and downstream of the release point. Herein we present water quality, sediment, and macroinvertebrate data that meet these assessment criteria. With respect to water quality, a synoptic study indicates that 40% of copper loading in the Animas River below Silverton was attributable to the Gold King Mine, prior to the release. This copper signature is evidenced by elevated copper concentrations in water samples, sediment samples, and macroinvertebrate tissues collected following the release. Despite these noted increases, the overall effect of the release appears to be minimal in light of long-term, widespread contamination within the watershed. Sediment concentrations for several metals appear to be unaffected, for example, and there were no detectable changes in macroinvertebrate diversity or abundance.
- C10 Biogeochemistry
- C22 Disturbance
- C10 Biogeochemistry
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Presenters/Authors
Robert L Runkel
(), US Geological Survey, runkel@usgs.gov;
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Scott Roberts
(), Mountain Studies Institute, scott@mountainstudies.org;
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Daniel J Cain
(), US Geological Survey, djcain@usgs.gov;
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