The recently released draft assessment found that a large-scale, open-pit copper, gold and molybdenum mine at the headwaters of the two largest watersheds in Bristol Bay would hurt salmon even in an ideal scenario, even if tailings never leaked. An 86-mile road would allow trucks to deliver minerals to Cook Inlet. Pipelines that deliver fuel and water would cross 70 streams.
Even a 24-hour-long leak of acidic tailings waste into rivers could have a devastating effect if it happens at the wrong time, because tens of thousands of sockeye salmon spawn in concentrated areas.
The EPA considers a small leak to be likely during the 25-to-75- year lifespan of a large-scale mine, said Rick Parkin, head of the assessment for the agency.
Less likely -- but more disastrous -- would be an accidental release of just 20 percent of the tailings from behind a dam. Nearly one-third of the Nushagak River salmon run could be destroyed, he said.
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