The Animas River, seen Wednesday at the Ninth Street bridge, looks like it’s back to normal to the naked eye. The Durango Area Tourism Office is helping area businesses answer frequently asked questions about the Gold King Mine spill into the river, including answering the question: “Is the river still orange?”
The Animas River, seen Wednesday at the Ninth Street bridge, looks like it’s back to normal to the naked eye. The Durango Area Tourism Office is helping area businesses answer frequently asked questions about the Gold King Mine spill into the river, including answering the question: “Is the river still orange?”Steve Lewis/Durango Herald

The office released a Frequently Asked Questions list to members Wednesday. Among the questions:

‰ Is the drinking water safe? (Yes.)

‰ Is the town of Durango closed? (“No, the Animas River is only one aspect of our town.” It’s “business as usual” and “there are numerous lakes and rivers for water recreation in the area.”)

‰ Is the river still orange? (“No, the images of discolored water circulating in the media are from the initial discharge almost one week ago … the color has mostly cleared from the river.”)

‰ What about the air quality in the area? (“The Gold King Mine situation was not an airborne contamination. The air quality in the area is not currently affected by this incident.”)

Herald staff

DATO’s FAQs (PDF)