The Animas River is the cultural soul of this patch of southwestern Colorado, a sort of moving Main Street that hosts multiple floating parades a year and is typically bustling with rafters and kayakers. Schoolchildren study the river. Sweethearts marry on its banks. Its former name, given by Spaniards, is el Río de las Ánimas, the River of Souls.
But since Wednesday, the Animas has been grievously polluted with toxic water spilled from one of the many abandoned mines that pockmark the region — a spill for which the Environmental Protection Agency has claimed responsibility, saying it accidentally breached a store of chemical-laced water.
via www.nytimes.com
Allow me to make a suggestion: I think the EPA should move quickly to acquire the services of a team of independent researchers capable of estimating the damages from the spill. While it is a one-off situation, the EPA looks bad here. Hiring an independent team to conduct an impartial study of the losses, and commit to accepting the results of said study, might help restore a little of the public trust. Now if we could just figure out where to find someone (or two) who know how to assess natural resource damages, are willing to remain independent, and have the academic credentials to be believable and defensible...well...
