Mining project scaled back over concerns that it would pollute Idaho river, harm bull trout
A month after they raised concerns that a proposed gold mining project would pollute waterways and harm a threatened fish species, several Idaho conservation groups have come to an agreement with the mining company and the U.S. Forest Service.
In a news release Wednesday, June 24, the Idaho Conservation League announced that along with Idaho Rivers United and the Idaho Chapter of the Sierra Club, it agreed to a plan that requires additional safety measures on the project. Last month, the conservation groups filed a formal objection over the Forest Service’s conclusion that the exploratory gold mining project wouldn’t impact the environment in Nevada’s Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
Though the project, owned by Australian company Newcrest Resources Inc., is set to develop in Nevada, its proximity to the Jarbidge River raised concerns for Idaho. The Jarbidge flows from its headwaters in Nevada into Southwest Idaho, where it merges with the Bruneau River. In May, the Idaho Conservation League said it worried mining activity would be harmful to the river system in Idaho, including the threatened bull trout that spawn there.
According to a letter written by William Dunkelberger, forest supervisor for the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Newcrest and the Forest Service have agreed to multiple measures to protect the river system and bull trout following conversations between the agency, Newcrest and the conservation groups. The Forest Service initially approved the project without conducting an environmental impact study on the proposal because it was not deemed necessary.
The compromise walks back the Forest Service’s previous approval of the Newcrest project in its entirety, instead approving only the first phase of the project. It also significantly reduces the number of drill sites included in the project, as well as the area of surface disturbance.
In addition, Newcrest agreed to make water quality data publicly available on a regular basis, and it will install equipment to measure sediment in the streams downriver from its drilling activity.
Earlier this month, the company told the Times-News in Twin Falls that it would implement “best management practices and design features that will reduce or eliminate erosion, sedimentation or other pollutants that may reach critical bull trout habitat and occupied streams.”
Conservation activists lauded the agreement.
“We appreciate the U.S. Forest Service and Newcrest sitting down with us to resolve many of our objections,” Randy Fox of the Idaho Conservation League said in a news release. “That said, the Jarbidge-Bruneau river system is a national treasure, so we’ll continue to monitor the project closely to ensure mining activities don’t harm this special area or downstream users.”
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
