Deadline nears on selenium comments

BONNERS FERRY — Time is running out to comment on a proposal to limit Canadian mining pollution from entering the U.S. via Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River.

The deadline to submit remarks on the matter is on Monday.

At issue is a proposal before Montana Department of Environmental Quality to implement a rule setting standards for selenium in fish tissue and the water column. A second proposed rule would set standards for selenium pollution in Lake Koocanusa and the mainstem of the Kootenai River from the international border to the Idaho border.

The Idaho Conservation League is urging Idahoans to wade into the debate because the pollution winds up here. Overburden from Teck Resources Limited's coal extraction projects is deposited in valleys, exposing it to rain and snow, which washes into the Elk and Fording rivers. The pollution then flows into Lake Koocanusa and water released through Libby Dam brings it into Idaho.

Selenium is problematic because it accumulates in the bodies of fish and other aquatic wildlife. Toxicological effects of selenium in fish include reduced growth, deformities, reduced liver function, and reduced reproduction, according to ICL. Anglers, for instance, have caught cutthroat trout in the Fording River with no gill plates.

The group also points out that eating fish with high levels of selenium can be harmful to people.

Brad Smith, a ICL associate, said selenium levels have been on the rise in the Kootenai River since the mid 1980s, causing the river to be listed as impaired because of it.

"Reducing the selenium pollution is vital to fish recovery efforts in the Kootenai, including endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon and burbot," Smith said.

High levels of selenium can lead to a reduction in the viability of fish eggs, physical deformities, and in the worse case scenario, population crashes.

"Although we have not yet seen these effects in the lower Kootenai, it is important to get selenium pollution under control before it does cause a problem. In the Elk River Valley, closest to the mines, populations of cutthroat trout are crashing," Smith added.

Smith said rule-making effort is important because the current selenium pollution limits are not strong enough. Montana went through a rigorous process to develop the new standards which will protect fish populations south of the border. Moreover, the new standards can be enforced in Canada through an international treaty that governs transboundary waterways, according to Smith.

Teck is also seeking provincial permission to expand its Fording River coal mining operations, which Smith said would make it the largest coal mine in Canada and could further exacerbate selenium loading.

"These mines will generate selenium pollution for 700 to 1,000 years. When Teck walks away, who will pay for all the reclamation and the water treatment that will have to occur for generations and generations?" Smith said.

Teck did not respond to a request for comment, but said on its website that it has embarked on a plan to stabilize and reverse the increasing trend of mining pollution in British Columbia's Elk Valley. The plan sets out short, medium and longterm water quality targets for selenium, in addition to nitrate, sulphate and cadmium. Teck also expanded saturated rock fill treatment and advancing construction of a water treatment plant on the Fording River.

"To date, we have spent approximately $425 million on implementing the plan," the company said.

The proposed rules can be viewed online at bit.ly/2UMfomE. Comments can be emailed to sscherer@mt.gov.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com or followed on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.