Boundary Waters ‘endangered’? Group highlights mining threat

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is among America’s “most endangered rivers of 2013,” an environmental group asserted this morning.

The decision by American Rivers to list the Boundary Waters among its annual 10-most-endangered rivers ” shines a national spotlight” on a proposed $1 billion nickel-copper mine proposed near Ely, the group said today, Wednesday April 17.

Twin Metals has proposed what would be the largest underground mine in the history of Minnesota off Highway 1 near the Kawishiwi River. The mine would be inside the Superior National Forest but just outside the BWCAW.

American Rivers has produced the annual list since 1986.

The type of mining proposed can leach sulfuric acid. Twin Metals has pledged to protect water quality and exceed anti-pollution requirements. Environmental groups, including the Friends of the Boundary Waters, oppose the project, arguing it could foul much of the pristine wilderness, threaten wildlife, contaminate drinking water and hurt tourism.

A number of businesses have lined up to oppose the project as well, adding a dimension of jobs-vs.-jobs to the rhetoric.

While not a single river, most the Boundary Waters encompasses a watershed northwest of the Laurentian Divide that flows northward to Hudson Bay. The Kawishiwi begins in the BW upstream from the proposed mine. Areas immediately  downstream from the mine include Basswood Lake and the west flowing chains of lakes along the Canadian border. The flow continues into the Rainy River, Voyageurs National park and Lake of the Woods before turning north into Canada.

Here is the announcement by American Rivers:

Washington, D.C.- American Rivers named the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness among America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2013 today, shining a national spotlight on a proposed copper nickel mine that would release toxic waste into the South Kawishiwi River, threatening fish and wildlife, drinking water quality, and a world class recreation area.

“The America’s Most Endangered Riversreport is a call to action to save rivers that are facing a critical tipping point,” said Jessie Thomas-Blate of American Rivers. “We all need healthy rivers. They provide our drinking water, support the economies of our communities, and promote public health and quality of life. We hope citizens will take action to ensure a healthy Boundary Waters for generations to come.”

The Boundary Waters is threatened by a proposed copper nickel mine near the South Kawishiwi River, a popular entry point to the Boundary Waters wilderness area and a source of drinking water for Minnesota residents and visitors. The mine, proposed within the Superior National Forest and just outside the wilderness area, would produce large quantities of waste rock, sulfuric acid, and a variety of toxic metals. Polluted runoff from the mine poses a public health concern because of fish and drinking water contamination and threatens the Boundary Waters ecosystem.

American Rivers and its partners called on President Obama, Congress, and Minnesota’s Governor Dayton to block mines and proposals to weaken water quality standards in this sensitive and well-loved area, and to expand mining protection zones around the Boundary Waters.

“Minnesota business owners recognize that the pollution that inevitably follows metallic sulfide mining poses a major risk to the area’s tourism-based economy,” said Becky Rom, of Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness, a local organization that advocates for the protection of the Quetico-Superior ecosystem. “The Boundary Waters is a unique and beloved wilderness of lakes of rivers,” said Betsy Daub, policy director of the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. “The region should not be a guinea pig for risky new mines, which have never before operated without causing serious water pollution.”

Paul Schurke, co-owner of Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge with his wife Sue, said, “the South Kawishiwi River and the many lakes it flows through, including the one our lodge is on, is the lifeblood of our region’s tourism economy. If metal sulfide mining pollutes the Kawishiwi watershed as it has 40 percent of the watersheds in the western U.S., it will devastate our community and damage the Boundary Waters, our nation’s most popular and beloved wilderness area.”

Canoe trip outfitter Steve Piragis, who with his wife, Nancy, owns Piragis Northwoods Company said, “I’m concerned that damage to the South Kawishiwi will pollute up to 65 miles of the Boundary Waters’ most popular canoe routes, from Fall Lake to Basswood and Lac La Croix, including a key segment of the historic water highway along the US-Canada border.”

Jane and Steve Koschak own and operate River Point Resort. Jane stated, “Our resort, which lies just across the South Kawishiwi River from exploration sites, is already impacted by the noise of drill rigs. If mining commences, water pollution will threaten our business as well as the dozens of resorts downstream from us all the way to Voyageurs National Park and on to Lake of the Woods. This 300-mile-long water-based recreation area from the South Kawishiwi to the Manitoba border makes our region an ecotourism treasure that must be protected from the dangers of metal sulfide mining.”

The Boundary Waters has high recreational, ecological, cultural, and economic value. The beautiful landscape of forests, lakes, and rivers of the Boundary Waters has historically attracted as many as 250,000 visitors annually. The Boundary Waters is a popular fishing destination for walleye, northern pike, and smallmouth bass. Wolves, lynx, moose, bear, loons, bald eagles, and osprey inhabit this area. The Boundary Waters is protected for Native American cultural values and use of hunting, fishing, and gathering rice. The U.S. Forest Service has estimated that the Superior National Forest contributes $500 million to the regional economy each year, of which $100 million is attributed to the Boundary Waters. The South Kawishiwi River is a critical waterway in this great wilderness and an important canoe route and Boundary Waters entry point. The significance of this river is underscored by four protected research sites in the area.

The Annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® report is a list of rivers at a crossroads, where key decisions in the coming months will determine the rivers’ fates. Over the years, the report has helped spur many successes including the removal of outdated dams, the protection of rivers with Wild and Scenic designations, and the prevention of harmful development and pollution.