Navajo Nation seeks assistance after Gold King Mine spill
The Navajo Nation has taken the first step to seek public assistance for recovery efforts relating to the Gold King Mine spill.
President Russell Begaye says he requested a preliminary damage assessment from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday.
He said the spill caused so much damage to the San Juan River that the Navajo Nation declared a state of emergency.
A federal cleanup crew inadvertently triggered the Gold King Mine blowout on Aug. 5 when heavy equipment breached a debris dam holding back wastewater containing heavy metals. The water flowed into rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, including the Southern Ute Reservation and the Navajo Nation.
FEMA has already rejected the Navajo Nation’s request to appoint a disaster-recovery coordinator to direct response to the spill.
