A crew belonging to a contractor was draining the Gold King Mine of water that had been building up for many years. The water was contaminated with dangerous chemicals due to the water reacting with the iron in the mine. In simple terms, the crew poked a hole in the front of the mine and spilled thousands of gallons of toxic water.
I'm writing an 8-page research report on it right now actually XD
don't blame epa for trying to clean what a mine company just left there for someone else to deal with, put the blame where it belongs another company that put their profits above the environment and left when they were done
The mine was most likely empty when abandoned because the workers working there wouldn't have been able to work in water. Water seeps through the rock and dirt and fills up the mine, not due to anyone's fault but because that's how it works. The fault lies with the contracting business that accidentally put the contaminated water into the tributary that leads into the Animas River.
I'm writing an 8-page research report on it right now actually XD