KEYSTONE—An intense rain storm last summer sent a plume of toxic heavy metals seeping out of an abandoned mine, killing hundreds of stocked trout in the Snake River near Keystone.
The tainted water flowing out of the Pennsylvania mine into Peru Creek, which flows into the Snake, has federal officials considering making it a Superfund site, which would provide money for long term cleanup.
Elizabeth Russell of Trout Unlimited, which was considering cleaning up the mine, estimated the cost at between $2 million and $2.5 million. That was before the rain storm that sent the plume down river in August.
It’s believed the storm changed the way water flows through the mine. While toxic to fish, the metals are not believed to be a health risk to humans.
