Over one billion gallons of contaminated water is trapped deep in an abandoned mining tunnel in Leadville, Colorado, and could escape into the town, according to a CNN.com report.
Commissioners in the Lakeville area have declared a state of emergency in the town, as a large snowpack could melt and create a huge wave of toxic water. A drainage tunnel that releases the tons of water that seeps into the abandoned mine is blocked, allowing water to build up inside the mine.
Water pressure inside the mine has been closely monitored the past two years, and has increased to a level that it could explode and engulf the town of 2,700 residents and possibly pour into the nearby Arkansas River.
Federal officials, in coordination with state officials, agreed to conduct a thorough assessment before taking any action, while many feel that measures should be taken immediately to ease the mine’s pressure.
We’re accustomed to the catastrophes in mine across the country, such as the miners in the West Virginia mine, where 12 miners were trapped in the mine and lost their lives, and six men became trapped and ultimately died in a Utah mine disaster. But this time around, the disaster is clearly visible and is looming in the not-so-distant future.
As a son of a man who made his career lead mining, this story hits me on a deeply personal level, but not so much as the two most recent mining disasters. Unlike those men trapped in Utah and West Virginia, this time around, we have been given a rare opportunity to see disaster straight ahead of us and take action to save lives before they are lost.
I mined with my dad’s mining company the summer after I graduated high school-a job my dad got managed to get for me so I could have some extra money before going off to college. I had been in a mine once or twice before when I was a child, so I had an idea of what I getting into, but mining as a living-even for those three short months-gave me a new appreciation for the danger and helplessness you feel as a human being.
When you walk into a mine in pitch black conditions at 4 a.m. in the morning for a ten-hour shift, the first thing that pops into your mind is: if something goes wrong, how will I get out of here? So before you even walk in, your mind begins scanning for a way out. Your mind builds a mental map of the mine, knowing all the ins and outs in case of emergency.
And that has led me to realize one valuable thing: human life is precious, especially when it’s your own.
The situation is this: lives are at risk, but there are multiple plans of attack where tragedy can be averted.
The first option: I’m no engineer, but I do know that the pressure in the mine must be eased in order to avoid an explosion. The drainage tunnel must be unblocked quickly if the town is to be saved, that’s clear. But mines are deep, dark, and in some places, extremely narrow, so it will be difficult (and expensive) for engineers to assess the damage already done, let alone fix the problem. But as the story reports that engineers have agreed to assess the damage and evaluate what should be done, it appears that they’re on the right track.
And when a mine blows, it’s not only blowing tons of toxic water but also massive amounts of debris. Anyone who has worked in a mine knows the amount of loose rocks, pebbles, chunks of coal/lead/steel, discarded tools, and dust that make up a mine, and all that would blow out of that mine like a bomb and shower mercilessly upon the town.
Option two: if relieving the pressure is not an option, the town needs to be evacuated immediately. A billion gallons of toxic water pouring into a small, remote town would lead to absolute disaster and would leave little chance of survival for those living there. CNN.com is reporting that speaker systems have been installed in various areas of the town that would alert residents should evacuation be necessary, and so expedited evacuation should not pose a huge problem.
An entire town of displaced citizens would be a aggravating and life-changing for those who reside in the town, but look at how many casualties resulted from people staying in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina hit and try to argue that ‘safety first’ isn’t the best policy.
The CNN story states that an EPA expert has stated that something catastrophic might happen is no action is taken in the near future, so some sort of plan needs to be put in motion quickly.
And option three: do nothing/wait too long, and let 2,700 residents perish.
The drainage pipe needs to be unblocked, or the town needs to be evacuated; any other solution would put 2,700 lives at risk, and would be completely unacceptable.
I pray federal and state officials will do the right thing.
