December 5, 2007--Alarm about mercury found in trout (Summit Daily)
Unhealthy levels of mercury have been found in Silver Creek, one of the tributaries to the Big Wood River (ID). Paid by The Nature Conservancy, a study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey. The study didn't pinpoint sources of the mercury, but the hypothesis is that at least part of the mercury came from gold mining operations in Nevada and a concrete plant in Oregon, both upwind from Silver Creek. Similar studies are underway in Colorado's San Juan Mountains. There, anecdotal speculation pinpoints mercury to the nearby Four Corners coal-fired power plants. However, there is also some native mercury in the ecosystem, scientists say.
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