EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said Wednesday the agency “takes full responsibility” for the spill of 3 million gallons of wastewater into the Animas River in Colorado.
An EPA crew accidentally caused the spill August 5 while working at a suspended gold mine near Durgango. Many state and local officials have criticized the agency for not responding more quickly.
“We are going to be fully accountable for this in a transparent way,” McCarthy said at a press conference. “The EPA takes full responsibility for this incident. No agency could be more upset.”
The heavy-metals-laden contaminants turned the Animas River a shade of mustard fit for a Crayola crayon box.
Fears of serious health risks quickly surfaced, but Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Executive Director Larry Wolk said Tuesday the river is returning to normal.
McCarthy repeated those findings Wednesday, saying the river appeared to be returning to “pre-incident conditions.”
On Wednesday, the chairmen of the House Oversight and Subcommittee on the Interior called for the EPA to investigate the Colorado spill.
“We request that you investigate this incident and its ensuing management by EPA and provide recommendations to the agency to ensure that any mistakes will not be repeated in the future,” wrote U.S. Reps. Jason Chaffetz and Cynthia M. Lummis.