BC Mining & Transboundary Rivers: What do Alaska, Montana and Washington have in common?

They all share a border with British Columbia and they are all calling on the State Department for help.

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British Columbia (BC) is in the midst of a mining boom, with 15 large-scale mines in various stages of exploration, development, and operation in watersheds that flow from Canada into the U.S. Lax mining regulations and low standards for financial bonding have encouraged the industry’s expansion in the region, but at what cost? Many of these mine sites sit within watersheds of rivers with extremely high fisheries values — like the Skagit River in Washington, the Elk and Kootenai Rivers in Montana, and the Taku, Stikine and Unuk Rivers in Alaska. 

That means mine pollution, and its effects on fish, people and jobs, crosses borders.

B.C.’s track record doesn’t inspire much confidence. In 2014 the Mt. Polley Mine’s tailings dam collapsed and dumped over 6 billion gallons of toxic mine waste into the Fraser River watershed. Teck Coal mines are currently releasing high levels of selenium into the Kootenai watershed in Montana, leading to deformities, infertility and die-offs in fish. Meanwhile, just dozens of miles from Alaska’s capital, the defunct Tulsequah Chief Mine has been leaching acid mine drainage into the Taku River watershed for more than 60 years.

• In Alaska, the Taku, Stikine, and Unuk Rivers form the backbone of Southeast Alaska’s salmon culture. All are un-dammed, largely pristine and support significant commercial, sport, and customary and traditional fisheries in Southeast Alaska.
• The Taku is often Southeast Alaska’s largest overall salmon producer, with the region’s most prolific runs of coho and king salmon and the Stikine is usually a close second.
• The Unuk is one of Southeast’s top five king salmon producers and its eulachon run provides an important customary and traditional fishery.
• Salmon fishing — including commercial, sport and subsistence fishing — supports more than 7,000 jobs in Southeast Alaska and pumps $1 billion into the regional economy every year.
• Washington’s Skagit is one of the very few remaining rivers in the state that still hosts runs of all five pacific salmon, steelhead and endangered bull trout. 

Many of these mines will require perpetual water treatment—that means forever! Yet, BC has only minimal reclamation requirements.  In a 2016 report, BC’s own Auditor General found, “Compliance and enforcement activities of the mining sector are inadequate to protect the province from significant environmental risks.” ​