Groups say central Idaho mine leaking pollution into river

HAILEY, Idaho (AP) – An environmental group and environmental law firm say they’ll file a lawsuit against the state of Idaho if Idaho officials continue what the groups say are violations of the Clean Water Act at an abandoned mine in central Idaho.

The Idaho Conservation League and Advocates for the West on Tuesday informed the state of their intention to file the lawsuit involving the Triumph Mine site north of Hailey.

The groups say the state is allowing discharge of arsenic and other pollutants from the former silver and lead mine into wetlands near the East Fork of the Big Wood River without a permit.

Don Carpenter of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality tells the Idaho Mountain Express that the agency is working on fixing a problem with an infiltration basin.

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Information from: Idaho Mountain Express, http://www.mtexpress.com