Leadville Disaster Alert

Sign our petition at SaveTheArkansasRiver.org and help prevent an environmental disaster. Senator Tom Wiens and the people of Leadville, Colorado warn that an imminent toxic mine pool blowout in the historic mining town could force evacuation of local residents, devastate the region's wildlife, and contaminate the Arkansas River, which runs through Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas before reaching the Mississippi River.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• leadville
• lake
• county
• colorado
• toxic
• mine
• pool
• blowout
• environment
• disaster
• wildlife
• ecosystem
• Arkansas
• River
• Kansas

[gino454]

i'm from northeast pa and i know the problems mine drainage causes all of our local streams r polluted, but there is hope and one of them has been cleaned and is now sustaining life...it's called the panther creek and flows into the lehigh river

[SaveTheArkansasRiver]

Thank you for this tip. We looked it up and found some encouraging reports about Panther Creek and the Lausanne Tunnel Abandoned Mine Drainage Restoration Project. We'll look this over carefully. Ironically, although Senator Tom Wiens stirred up a lot of concern all across Colorado about the Leadville crisis, the state government weakened its resolve and simply called for yet another study. See HB08-1396, "Study Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel." Maybe something more will happen in Washington, DC.

[violiste]

Go to savethearkansasriver(dot)org to find a petition and more information.

[SaveTheArkansasRiver]

Thank you. At our website you can also download a new song, "Save The Arkansas," contributed by Colorado singer/songwriter Gabrielle Louise right after she signed the petition. We are sending the studio recording to members of Congress, as new legislation is introduced (finally) to address the Leadville crisis. Gabrielle has agreed to offer open synchronization rights to her song to anyone who wishes to create a video in support of this cause. Just let us know in your petition comments. Peace.

[Changboo]

Nice touch putting this on You Tube...you need a different title...something more dramatic, well, something as dramatic as what the end results could/will be...not so sure DISASTER means much to our government if it is in our country.

[SaveTheArkansasRiver]

You're right. We used restraint. Under one scenario the toxic heavy metals in the water shooting out of the tunnel would mix with the caustic chemicals that would burst out of the vats in the treatment plant. The resulting poisonous cocktail would be beyond the grasp of modern medicine, and would lay waste to the region's ecosystem. Cleanup would take decades. But these warnings have fallen on deaf ears. How would you suggest getting the right message through to the White House?

[gino454]

i'm sorry it's called the nesquehoning creek,the locals call it panther creek or black creek...but u found the right one with the lausanne tunnel drain...the way i think it got started was thru alot of local groups bcuz going thru state and national govt. will only get tied up in years of crap.another local waterway in PA is the Little Nescopeck Creek which is heavily polluted and is being cleaned. So maybe PA has an outline u can follow to get something done.