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Protecting Idaho rivers
As public lands director for the Idaho Conservation League, John Robison knows the economic importance of mining in the history of Idaho and surrounding states. Idaho is, after all, the Gem State. But the fall-out from decades of mining has taken a huge toll on the state’s waterways, and organizations like the ICL are leading the charge to raise awareness of the extent of the problem.
“There are over 500,000 abandoned mines scattered across the West,” Robison says. “Mining has had a huge unanticipated impact on one of the West’s defining natural resources—water.” According to Environmental Protection Agency estimates, as many as 40 percent of waterways in the West have been contaminated by mine waste.
“The bottom line is that mining is dirty business,” Robison says. “We all use metals and minerals, but responsible mining means recognizing that some places are simply too special to mine.”
Idaho’s rivers and lakes are being contaminated in many ways. The process of removing precious metals from the ground releases unwanted contaminants, including selenium, arsenic, mercury and other heavy metals. Many of these find their way directly into waterways. The smelting process can also release massive amounts of contaminants into the air. These contaminants then settle into the soil and eventually find their way into rivers, streams and lakes.
In addition to Idaho’s operations, gold mining facilities in Nevada release large amounts of mercury that rain down on Idaho lakes and reservoirs, Robison says, leading to serious fish consumption advisories. This mercury is also spilling over into Utah, where two species of ducks had such high mercury concentrations last year that they were deemed unfit for human consumption.
Some mining pollutants are less obvious, as in the case of acid mine draining. When ore deposits containing large quantities of sulfides are exposed to air and water during the mining process, that sulfide is converted into sulfuric acid. When this acid flows into waterways, it can sterilize streams to the point that nothing will grow in them, a situation that is as difficult to predict as it is to reverse.
“Agencies responsible for mining have not done a good job of predicting when acid mine drainage will actually occur,” Robison says. “Predicting the amount of sulfide in a deposit is problematic.”
Other areas of concern include hard rock mining in the Silver Valley and large phosphate strip mines in southeast Idaho. In the case of phosphate strip mining, selenium is infused with or sandwiched between layers of phosphate ore. Accessing the phosphate means liberating the selenium, which, once it finds its way into Idaho’s waterways, is highly toxic to fish. Although adult fish can generally survive, the toxicity affects the eggs, resulting in a sharp decline in reproduction in a short period of time. The Idaho Department of Health and Safety posted a fish consumption advisory in the watershed where mining waste dumps were leaking selenium.
Phosphate is used in fertilizer, matches, sodas and industry, and Idaho produces about 12 percent of the nation’s supply. Because it is in such high demand, J.R. Simplot is currently proposing opening a new Smoky Canyon phosphate mine in Caribou County in the Sage Creek and Meade Peak inventoried roadless areas.
A bigger problem in Idaho, and one that has been in the public spotlight lately with the proposed gold mining operation at Atlanta, is cyanide heap leach mining. This process involves crushing tailings from previous gold mining operations and drizzling cyanide through the resulting heap. Remaining gold will bond with the cyanide and drain to the bottom of the heap, where it is collected. Under correct conditions, cyanide can easily be neutralized when exposed to sunlight, but once it enters groundwater, it is much harder to treat.
A study done in Montana showed that every major cyanide heap leach mine in the state had experienced leaks, thus negatively impacting clean water. “That’s where they did the study, but the problem is not unique to Montana,” Robison says.
In the case of the proposed Atlanta Gold Corporation, these concerns are coupled with the problem of transporting cyanide, diesel fuel and other hazardous chemicals along the windy, riverside road to Atlanta. “They intend to haul 611 truckloads of diesel fuel each year for the next five to seven years,” Robison says. “Atlanta Gold estimates there is only a 1 in 200 chance of a trucking spill occurring over the life of the mine, but if those were the odds for the lottery, everyone would want a ticket.”
The Idaho Conservation League is heading up a public awareness campaign on the value of the Boise River to the Treasure Valley and the risks cyanide heap leach mining poses to public health and quality of life. They’re also actively engaged with Atlanta Gold over existing arsenic contamination at the mine site, located at the head of the Boise River.
“The Boise River supplies 20 percent of our drinking water and is the lifeblood of the community … Our view is that the Boise River is more precious than gold,” Robison says, repeating the organization’s rallying cry.
Robison grew up fishing in Kitty Hawk, N.C., which, he says, started his love for all things “wet and watery.” He started leading canoeing, kayaking and sea kayaking trips in college, prompting his mother to ask him to create a list of goals as a Christmas present. When he gave them to her, “she buried her head in her hands and said, ‘John, you're paddling to nowhere’,” he recalls. “Protecting rivers has been a passion for me ever since.”
Before joining the ICL in 2002, Robison worked as a ranger for Stanford University’s Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, as a field instructor for the Teton Science School, and he ran the River Education Program for the Canyonlands Field Institute in Moab, Utah.
Written by Kathleen Craven
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