The Water Information Program

The Four Corners Air Quality Task Force will wrap-up up its two years of work next month. While many Four Corners residents blame coal power plants across the New Mexico state line, the science isn't that clear. "It's extremely difficult to pinpoint a source of emissions, such as a power plant in New Mexico, to an environmental problem in Colorado," said Mike Silverstein, deputy director of the state Air Pollution Control Division. As the Navajo Nation gets closer to building its huge Desert Rock coal plant, the hunt continues for the sources of the current pollution. Mercury accumulates in a lake's microscopic life forms, like zooplankton. Fish eat the plankton, and mammals, birds and humans eat the fish. All the while, the poisonous mercury gets passed from animal to animal.

To view the full article, visit the Cortez Journal. For a copy of the original article contact the WIP at (970) 247-1302 or stop by the office at 841 East Second Avenue in Durango.