Gallery

Rayna Willhite of Aztec holds a bottle of water collected from the Animas River on Thursday near Bakers Bridge. The river is carrying mine waste from the Gold King Mine north of Silverton.

Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
08/06/2015- Kayakers, Dan Steaves, Eric Parker, and David Farkas, find themselves in the Animas River north of Durango on Thursday that is filled with toxic mine waste that flowed into the river from the Gold King Mine north of Silverton.

An orange-colored discharge of sediment and minerals makes its way down the Animas River-Cement Creek junction about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Silverton, about eight miles downstream from a blowout at the Gold King Mine in San Juan County. The contamination made its way to Bakers Bridge in La Plata County as of Thursday morning.

Contaminated water from a blowout at the Gold King Mine above Silverton turned the water orange-brown Thursday morning in the Animas River at Bakers Bridge.

Water flows down an irrigation ditch Thursday north of Durango filled with toxic mine waste from the Animas River.

Clear water mixes with the contaminated Animas River on Thursday north of Durango. The Animas filled with toxic mine waste that dumped into the river from the Gold King Mine north of Silverton.

Dan Bender with the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, just north of Durango on Thursday, takes a sample of the Animas River that is carrying over a million gallons of toxic mine waste that came down from the Gold King Mine north of Silverton.

Kayakers Dan Steaves, Eric Parker and David Farkas talk with a group of spectators as they exit the polluted Animas River north of Durango on Thursday that was filled with toxic mine waste that dumped into the river from the Gold King Mine north of Silverton.

A crowd at 32nd Street waits for signs of the mine waste coming downstream.

The La Plata County Sheriff’s department closed down the Animas River because of the Gold King Mine leak that dumped over a million gallons of waste into the river.

“The water tastes like iron,” Eric Parker said as he floats down the Animas River near Bakers Bridge on Thursday morning after his group ended up in the toxic mine waste that flowed into the river form the Gold King Mine north of Silverton.

Among the last tubers to go down the Animas River before it was closed to all recreation because of the Gold King Mine toxic waste spill pass by Rotary Park ahead of contaminated water.

Residents gather on the bridge at 32nd Street on Thursday afternoon to watch the pending toxic mine waste flowing their way in the Animas River.

Abbie Jefferson, left, Jim White, right, and Pete Cadmus of Colorado Parks & Wildlife set up cages with Rainbow Trout fingerlings Thursday near the High Bridge to gauge the effect of mine waste on fish after the contamination on the Animas River.

Abbie Jefferson, Jim White and Pete Cadmus of Colorado Parks & Wildlife tried to gauge the impact on fish Thursday in the Animas River after the Gold King Mine spill.

Pete Cadmus of Colorado Parks & Wildlife takes water samples on the Animas River at 32nd Street.

Mark Tucker of Durango Fire Protection District talks to Ashleigh MacLennan and Terry Rickard about the waste flowing downstream Thursday at the 32nd Street put-in. Officials are asking people not to get in the river because of the contamination.

Onlookers at Oxbow Park and Preserve on Thursday check out the mine waste ooze down the Animas River.

Playing in the Animas River ahead of the contaminated water, Jeremy Ham, right, took his two daughters, Wrigley Ham and Camden Ham, on their very first inner-tube ride Thursday down the Animas River.

Dave Kendall is totally shocked as he looks at the Animas River behind his ranch Thursday north of Durango that is filled with toxic mine waste that flowed into the river from the Gold King Mine north of Silverton.

Kayakers Dan Steaves, Eric Parker and David Farkas on Thursday find themselves surrounded by the toxic mine waste that flowed into the Animas River from the Gold King Mine north of Silverton.