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United States Environmental Protection Agency personnel accidentally caused a spillage (aftermath pictured) of 3 million gallons (11 million litres) of mine waste water and tailings trapped inside the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado.
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United States Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. federal government agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on December 2, 1970, after Nixon signed…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
2015 Gold King Mine waste water spill
Environmental disaster near Silverton, Colorado
The 2015 Gold King Mine waste water spill was an environmental disaster that began at the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado, when Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) personnel, along with workers for Environmental Restoration LLC, caused the release of toxic waste water…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Acid mine drainage
Outflow of acidic water from metal or coal mines
Acid mine drainage, acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD), or acid rock drainage (ARD) is the outflow of acidic water from metal mines and coal mines.Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Tailings
Materials left over from the separation of valuable minerals from ore
In mining, tailings or tails are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction (gangue) of an ore. Tailings are different from overburden, which is the waste rock or other material that overlies an ore or mineral body…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Silverton, Colorado
Town in Colorado, United States
Silverton is a statutory town that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in San Juan County, Colorado, United States. The town is located in a remote part of the western San Juan Mountains, a range of the Rocky Mountains. The…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)