Hard Rock Mines and The American Fishery

By James Robles 

Finding a favorite coldwater fishery devoid of flora and fauna is enough to shrivel any angler’s rod. The toxic orange runoff is off putting, but a good angler is an optimistic one.  Perhaps genetically altered super trout of epic girth hold beneath the apocalyptic sludge? Unfortunately this belief only leads to further disappointment. Throughout the American West, abandoned hardrock mines have polluted 16,000 miles of waterways, nearly 40 percent of western waters. 

The grizzled miners of yester year, bent over pick and pan, knew nothing of acid mine drainage – and had they, it would have meant nothing in comparison to their rampant gold lust. As word spread of the wealth and opportunity lying beneath western waters, so did mining camps. It wasn’t long before old man river, beholding of one tooth, was replaced by big business; mining shafts, cart tracks, and stratified organizations. The same spark that had created the gold rush had burst into a wildfire, igniting U.S. industrialization. 

Now, nearly a century later, the western landscape appears dramatically altered. Every hundred miles of superhighway is seemingly bisected by another looming metropolis. The days of frontier living and the wild-west have vanished like two farts in the wind. This time lapse into the killing field of today’s corporate America has afforded a dismal glance into the future of western American waters. 

According to the EPA, more then 500,000 abandoned mines scar the western United States. Acid mine drainage (AMD) is the most obvious and detrimental side affect. AMD is the result of a chemical reaction between pyrite (iron sulfide), air and water. The ensuing oxidation prompts the yellowish-orange runoff seen flowing from these mine sites. The same reaction occurs when rainwater contacts waste rock and tailings piles near the mine. The PH levels associated with AMD are similar to that of battery acid, and are capable of obliterating entire ecosystems. 

Trout are negatively affected by AMD’s soluble metals, which constantly pass through their gills and gastrointestinal tracts. Respiratory functions are harmed, while low PH levels diminish rearing success and reproduction rates. The many stone, caddis and mayflies we fisherman joyfully imitate, absorb these harming metals as they pass downstream. And as all anglers appreciate, these insects are then inhaled by feeding trout. 

The most harmful aspect of an abandoned mine is its ability to destroy an entire streambed. Iron oxides collect along river bottoms, creating an impenetrable barrier for both insect and trout. Without the ability to access their habitats, insect populations die. The armoring effects of these contaminants prevent trout from nesting, putting a halt to spawning activity. If the acid/metal content reaches a high enough point, all aquatic and plant life may disappear, creating a dead stream.  

The molybdenum mine, in southwest Colorado, has killed 20 miles of the Animas River fishery. In New Mexico, more then eight miles of the Red River’s aquatic life have been destroyed by heavy metal waste associated with the nearby molybdenum mine. Several thousand tons of mine waste breached a tailings dam in the headwaters of Montana’s Blackfoot river in 1975, sending toxic material 16 miles downstream, killing all life within the first ten miles. 

The Pennsylvania Mine in Northwest Colorado continues to bleed heavy metals into nearby Peru Creek. From there, the toxins move down the Snake River, through White River National Forest and into a massive reservoir which provides drinking water for the Denver metro area. This single mine has destroyed once abundant populations of rainbow and brooke trout, turning Peru Creek into the most polluted waterway in the Snake River watershed. 

When the old mine owners finally kicked the creel, no one was left to inherit their claims. Many of these dried out mines were untransferrable, and as a result, were left in the trustworthy hands of federal agencies – which have done little or nothing to counteract the problem. Currently, there is no federal funding program dedicated to cleaning up abandoned hard rock mines in the western United States. 

Ironically, the largest obstacle blocking the restoration of western waters is an environmental protection act passed to protect them. The Clean Water Act of 1971 has made it impractical and dangerous for “Good Samaritans” to clean up polluted sites. After obtaining the necessary permits, Good Samaritans are required to meet stringent water quality standards during their efforts. If these standards are not met, the polluting mine, and the ensuing penalties, are then transferred into the hands of the Good Samaritan. These strangleholds apply to organizations including, non-profits, community groups, government agencies, and corporations. 

To the average passer by, hard rock mines may seem the nostalgic, historical monuments deserved of western pioneers. The men who labored in these streams, knee deep in frigid mountain runoff, sought fortune as equally rich as the country they worked. To pay homage to their adventurous spirit and the ideality of the American dream, we must work to preserve the landscapes that brought them here.

James is a fisherman and skier from Boulder, Colorado. He spends his remaining free time devising ways to move further from civilization.