Entire Colorado river turns YELLOW after one million gallons of toxic waste leaks from disused gold mine - but authorities insist there's no danger


Environmental Protection Agency wanted to pump out contaminated water from Gold King Mine near Durango
Coordinator says much more water than expected was behind dirt and it began leaking out before surging into river
Contaminated Cement Creek leads to Animas River, which flows into New Mexico and joins Colorado River in Utah
River turns orange with contaminants such as iron and zinc, though experts don't know exactly what is in the water
Spill not believed to affect drinking water, though fears remain for wildlife as much courses downstream
Preliminary tests show that the acidity of the river has increased 100-fold since the spill.

A federal mine cleanup crew unleashed a million-gallon mine toxic waste spill that sent a plume of orange-ish muck down a river in southwest Colorado on Thursday.
The US Environmental Protection Agency said that a cleanup team was working with heavy equipment Wednesday morning to secure an entrance to the Gold King Mine. Workers instead released an estimated 1 million gallons of mine waste into Cement Creek.
Contaminants coursed down the creek, which runs from around Silverton, Colorado, into the Animas River before flowing into the San Juan River in New Mexico and joining the Colorado River in Utah.
Officials say that the water, believed to now contain high amounts of iron and zinc, does not pose a threat to drinking water. However, fears remain that it may kill fish and other animals after the river's acidity increased 100-fold.