Comments: Best mining practices not working here, the river is ruin, will the $2 million help the river??????
Jul 20, 1:01 PM EDT
BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- A federal judge is ordering a Canadian mining company to comply with the nation's clean water laws and pay at least $2 million in penalties for polluting a tributary of the Boise River system.
The order and penalty represent another loss for Atlanta Gold Corp., which is seeking to extract gold from the mountains near the historic mining town of Atlanta, Idaho, northeast of Boise.
Earlier this year, U.S. Magistrate Judge Mikel H. Williams ruled that the company is legally responsible for high levels of arsenic and iron flowing from an abandoned mine shaft.
His order issued Thursday wraps up the penalty phase of the case.
The Idaho Conservation League and the National Environmental Defense Center sued the Toronto-based company last year, accusing the company of violating its federal discharge permit and failing to reduce the levels of pollutants flowing daily into Montezuma Creek, a tributary of the Middle Fork of the Boise River.
“We are hopeful that this strong ruling will cause Atlanta Gold to come into compliance with the permit and allow for the restoration of Montezuma Creek and the Boise River,” said Kristin Ruether, an attorney for Advocates of the West and the plaintiffs.
The judge also ordered the company to fix the problem by October 31 or face additional financial penalties.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GOLD_LAWSUIT?SITE=VARIT&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2012/jul/20/atlanta-gold-loses-boise-river-pollution-case-must-pay-2-million/
