Orange Waste From Mine Creeps Toward State Line

DENVER (AP) — A plume of orange muck that spilled from a Colorado mine has drifted about 55 miles downriver and is closing in on New Mexico.

New Mexico Environment Department spokeswoman Susan Majure said Friday that the contaminated water is 4 to 6 miles from the state line.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says people should stay out of the Animas River and domestic animals shouldn't drink from it. Water utilities have closed intake valves to protect their systems, and Colorado is testing the impact on fish.

The EPA says 1 million gallons of contaminated water gushed from the Gold King Mine on Wednesday after a cleanup crew accidentally breached a containment structure.

The agency says the waste contains heavy metals but the exact contents are still being analyzed.

By KRISTEN WYATT, Associated Press

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