"River Fouled By Mine Waste in Colorado Reopens for Recreation"

"A stretch of river fouled by toxic waste from an abandoned gold mine in southwestern Colorado last week was reopened to kayaking and rafting on Friday while water from river-fed irrigation canals was deemed safe for crops and livestock.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also said it was safe for homes and farms to resume drawing supplies of drinking water from private wells along the river farther downstream in New Mexico.

The lifting of various restrictions marked a gradual return of normalcy to life along the Animas River more than a week after the stream was turned bright orange by the spill of more than 3 million gallons (11.3 million liters) of acid mine waste, inadvertently triggered by an EPA crew."

Keith Coffman reports for Reuters August 17, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"See Colorado Gov. Drink Water Directly from Contaminated Animas River" (ABC News)

"New Mexico, Utah Drop Water Restrictions After Colorado Mine Spill" (Denver Post)

"Colorado River Spill: Fixing the 1872 Law That Haunts Thousands of Old Mines" (Christian Science Monitor)