A Canadian company has applied for an exploratory mining permit in the headwaters of the Skagit River, which flows from British Columbia and through northwest Washington state to Puget Sound.
The Skagit River is one of the premier salmon-producing rivers for Puget Sound, and its waters churn through hydropower dams to bring the city of Seattle much of its electricity. Its upper waters are home to endangered bull trout.
“The City of Seattle is very concerned about the proposed actions to allow mining in the Silverdaisy area in the Upper Skagit Watershed,” Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said in a statement Thursday. “As with potential logging, mining in this area would threaten the environment, undermine our investments in salmon and bull trout recovery, and harm the integrity of a watershed that is critical to millions of people in Seattle and our region.”
The possibility of a mining spill worries some conservationists.
Metals, particularly copper, are toxic to salmon. Even low concentrations of dissolved copper in water can damage salmons’ sense of touch and smell, said Jen McIntyre, an assistant professor at Washington State University’s School of Environment. That can prevent them from finding food, evading predators or making their way to spawning ground.