‘Elk River is being poisoned’ by coal mining, study finds

A fly fisherman casts onto the Elk river near Fernie, B.C. The Elk river is famous for cutthroat trout and is a favorite fishing destination. (JEFF MCINTOSH/CP)

‘Elk River is being poisoned’ by coal mining, study finds

By Mark Hume, VANCOUVER — The Globe and Mail, Thursday, Mar. 21 2013

As it flows through the Rocky Mountains, near Fernie in southeastern British Columbia, the Elk River seems the picture of environmental health, with its crystal-clear waters supporting a world-famous sports fishery.

But a new study by U.S. researchers warns that all is not well below the surface, where invisible pollutants – including selenium, a metal-like element that can cause spinal deformities in young fish – have reached alarming levels.

“We’ve basically learned that the Elk River is being poisoned,” Sarah Cox, interim director of the Sierra Club of B.C., said Wednesday.

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