Hundreds of thousands of American mines were unregulated and left abandoned. Metals like copper and lead leaked out of the rock and into nearby watersheds, creating unstable sites that could contaminate Western American groundwater.

The western region of the United States was untouched before thousands trekked far from home in search of the American dream.

These men wanted to build a life. They began to stretch out, swallow the land and use it for profit. Many were employed as miners, breaking into the earth’s rock day in and out to uncover valuable minerals.

The mines were largely unregulated during the great migration and subsequent industrial boom. Fast forward hundreds of years later and these regional mines are now abandoned, left to contaminate Western water sources with dangerous metals.

The Evidence of Contamination

Drainage from unmaintained mines has affected 40 percent of western watersheds thus far, but the real toll has yet to be calculated.
Via: Reveal News

In 2011, the Government Accountability Office released a report that found at least 161,000 abandoned hardrock mines in 12 western states and Alaska. These mines pose an environmental risk, with at least 33,000 leading to the contamination of surface and groundwater.

Drainage from these unmaintained mines has affected 40 percent of western watersheds. In Colorado, 230 mines have leaked metals into 1,645 miles of rivers and streams, according to The Department of Public Health and Environment.

In addition, 161,000 sites were identified as environmental risk factors, with 332,000 unstable areas that could decay, collapse and cause a toxic waste-water leak.

The contamination stems from a lack of regulation imposed on western mining sites and the site’s owners. When miners struck the rock, they released iron sulfide, which blended with air and pyrite and created sulfuric acid. The acid dissolved the rock and allowed metals like copper and lead to flow into the mine’s wastewater.

Despite the fact that there was knowledge of the worsening situation, no one was required to stop it.

“In the old days, there was very little control, and not much attention paid to control,” Ronald Cohen, an environmental engineer at the Colorado School of Mines, explained to public radio station KUNC.

The Clean Up

Earthworks action is only one environmental organization calling on regulators to clean up the abandoned toxic sites.
Via: Clean Up The Mines

Earthworks Action, an environmental advocacy organization, created a comprehensive list of all the currently identified abandoned mines and the issues that have stemmed from the lack of regulation.

The list includes sites in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Earthworks Action estimates that it would take $72 billion to fix the mess, which was allowed to worsen without restraint. And that’s not including the mines that have yet to be identified and investigated.

These mines not only contaminate the water supply. They also pollute soil, kill wildlife and harm humans. Since no one claims ownership to the mines, taxpayer money would most likely fund the clean up.

If 33,000 abandoned mines could end up to contaminating surface and groundwater and 332,000 unstable areas could collapse and lead to toxic exposure, government agencies have a lot of work to do.

The post Abandoned Mines Leak Metals Into Western American Water Supply appeared first on Citizens Report.

Studies show the Grand Canyon has been contaminated by mercury and selenium from a nearby coal burning power plant and distant river irrigation runoff.

The Grand Canyon has been a world heritage site since 1979. Despite the desire to protect it, pollution has permeated its natural features.

Findings from a recent U.S. Geological Survey study shows alarming levels of mercury and selenium in the Grand Canyon’s ecosystem, creating a risk for fish, other area wildlife and humans.

The Study

Mercury is a dangerous chemical that has been linked to autism, psychotic reactions, hallucinations, suicidal tendencies and delirium.
Via: RSC

Researchers examined six waterways that connected to the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and found chemical contamination in the aquatic food webs. The study was recently published in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

The waters contained chemical compounds of mercury and selenium that can affect minnows, invertebrates and fish. The amount of chemicals present in the water would make the fish and fish-eating wildlife unsafe to eat.

However, rainbow trout had mercury levels that were below the EPA threshold, which means the most common kind of Colorado River fish are safe to eat. Researchers didn’t notice the usual deformities caused by mercury exposure in these animals, which could be because of a positive interaction between the mercury and selenium.

The Cause

Researchers believe that mercury was introduced to the Grand Canyon through pollution from a coal burning power plant in Page, Arizona.
Via: AZ Capitol Times

The Grand Canyon is in a remote part of Arizona, which makes data collection of distant areas difficult. The study cites potential sources of contamination from atmospheric deposition, watershed runoff, coal ash or irrigation returns.

There is a coal burning power plant located northeast of the Grand Canyon near Page, Arizona, which most likely contributed to the mercury contamination. Selenium probably exists naturally in the area, but upstream reservoir called Lake Powell could have contributed irrigation runoff from algae to the waterway.

“Our research adds to a growing body of evidence showing that remote ecosystems are vulnerable to long-range transport and subsequent bioaccumulation of contaminants,” according to the study. “Airborne transport and deposition is most commonly identified as the mechanism for contaminant introduction to remote ecosystems.”

Can The Contamination Be Contained?

Researchers believe that contamination in the Grand Canyon is going to continue to have a negative effect on the area’s wildlife and ecosystem.
Via: National Geographic

Environmentally conscious Americans have been advocating for the protection of historical natural sites, but the study shows that mercury concentrations are higher in comparison to other large rivers.

It is important to note that these chemicals are harmful to humans. Mercury contains a neurotoxin that affects the central nervous system. Selenium is a nutritional element, but an improper exposure to too much of the compound can cause teeth and hair to fall out, decreased alertness, lesions, skin discoloration and potentially liver tumors, according to the EPA.

The study says that mercury and selenium are “leading causes of impairment of lotic ecosystems.” Because the source of contaminated begins far beyond the borders of the Grand Canyon, it will be very difficult to contain.

“Protecting fish and wildlife in Grand Canyon from contaminant exposure driven by processes occurring beyond park and other political boundaries will remain an ongoing challenge,” according to the study.

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