And the second paragraph: "Contractors accidentally destroyed the plug holding water trapped inside the mine, which caused an overflow of the pond, spilling th

And the second paragraph: "Contractors accidentally destroyed the plug holding water trapped inside the mine, which caused an overflow of the pond, spilling three million US gallons (eleven thousand cubic metres) of mine waste water and tailings, including heavy metals such as cadmium and lead, and other toxic elements, such as arsenic,[5] beryllium,[5] zinc,[5] iron[5] and copper[5] into Cement Creek, a tributary of the Animas River and part of the San Juan River and Colorado River watershed." Note the words "contractors" and "accidentally". Also note that the EPA has taken responsibility for the accident.[1] If you think this reflects poorly on the EPA, you may wish to have a word with the United States oil, gas, and chemical industries. [1] Yes, and refused to pay "on grounds of sovereign immunity, pending special authorization from Congress or re-filing of lawsuits in federal court."