Idaho Statesman, Our View: Threats to Boise River would affect us all

By Kevin Richert

The Treasure Valley made another national Top Ten list this week.

But this list - ranking the Boise River as the sixth most endangered river in the United States - should concern everyone who lives in the Valley.

The national environmental group American Rivers placed the Boise on its Top Ten because the river is approaching a confluence with a key decision point. State and federal agencies will review a open-pit gold mine proposed near the Middle Fork of the Boise - 60 miles upriver from the Greenbelt.

Atlanta Gold Corp. hopes to mine 525,000 ounces near the Middle Fork - a $300 million-plus resource, based on gold prices that hovered Wednesday at about $625 an ounce.

Environmentalists point to other numbers. The 27 million tons of arsenic-laced waste the mine would dump into a valley. The million pounds of cyanide that would be trucked to and from the mine each year (Atlanta Gold places this number at a third of a million, or eight truck shipments a year). Cyanide would be used to seep through tons of crushed rock, separating out the gold.

Is the gold worth the potential risk of a cyanide leak - affecting a source of drinking and irrigation water, and an after-hours or Saturday-afternoon getaway in the heart of the Valley? The American Rivers ranking shines a bright light on a defining question.

"Boise consistently rates as one of the best cities in the country in which to live and do business, and the parks and trails along the Boise River attract scores of families who hike along and raft, fish and splash in the river," the report says.

Atlanta Gold says its mine would not threaten water quality. The solution used to "leach" gold from rock would contain little cyanide; runoff from the crushed ore would meet drinking water standards for cyanide, said Bruce Thorndycraft, Atlanta Gold's general manager. "Where's the risk? I don't get it."

The company's case demands thorough community vetting, from the river's headwaters downstream.

In this discussion, there is room for environmental groups that want to focus national attention on the federal government's 1872 Mining Law, and for local business recruiters who recognize the river as a selling point.

The Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce has taken no position on the Atlanta Gold mine, and members aren't talking much about it. But chamber members know the importance of the river. During a 1997 chamber leadership conference, 120 members were asked to rank issues by importance. The clear winner - surpassing amenities from parks to neighborhood health to open space - was air and water quality, said Ray Stark, the chamber's senior vice president.

Boise Mayor Dave Bieter and the City Council have remained neutral on the mine to date. Bieter, rightfully, has said Boiseans should pay close attention to the proposal.

Bieter speaks from the experience of a native who went tubing and swimming on the river - before the community banded together to clean up the river and spruce up the Greenbelt. He speaks as a mayor who recognizes what his city has. He summed it up well in an August 2004 speech: "The Boise River is the icon of our city. Its health will largely determine the course and vitality of Boise's future."

The Boise River is one of the Treasure Valley's treasured assets. The river bisects Boise's geography but brings together its people. Ensuring the health of the river is a part of ensuring our community's health.

Boise River/Atlanta Gold Mine