Abandoned mines are not uncommon in Arizona. The State Mining Inspector’s office estimates there are about 100,000 of them scattered throughout the state.
Thanks to Arizona’s arid climate, the state’s abandoned mines are not as likely to initiate a spill as large as the one last week near Silverton, Colo.
The state isn’t immune to mine waste spills. Trevor Baggiore, the water quality division director at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, recounts an event last September when two abandoned mines near Patagonia overflowed with storm water, leaking orange and brown sludge to local creek beds.
Baggiore said while that event was decidedly smaller, what makes Arizona different is that many of our stream beds only run when there’s storm water.
"And because of that, even if an event like this occurs, it's very short lived because the water drains off and leaves everything else behind," Baggiore said.
Abandoned mines in Arizona date back to the mid 1800s. They range from silver and gold mines to copper and a few uranium mines.
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