The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has sent a team to southern Arizona to test the waters of the San Pedro River.
Spokesman Mark Shaffer says they’ll be trying to determine if heavy metal from a copper mine across the border in Mexico has leaked into the river.
“They’re gonna be looking primarily for PH, which is the acidity of the water," Shaffer said. "They’re also gonna be sampling for metals in the water."
The mine owners have blamed Hurricane Odile for the release of contaminants, but Shaffer notes for the river the excess water that came with the storm may have been a good thing, helping to disperse any contaminants that may have seeped into the San Pedro.