Over the last decade, one of the major threats to our continental rivers and streams comes from coal and mineral (and other byproducts) leakage into our waterways from mines long played out. It’s estimated there’s over 500,000 abandoned mines in the US, with many of them chronically leaking toxic materials into some of the country’s most popular trout streams. 
The areas of largest impact include the coal mining regions of Pennsylvania and West Virginia and the mineral mining areas in Utah, Wyoming and Montana. In some cases, the volume of toxic chemicals seeping into the nearby stream and groundwater have eliminated all marine line portions of those waterways. 
A recent project by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (ACOE) to deepen the Mobile Bay shipping channel from 45 feet to 50 feet to allow larger container ships into the port has been wreaking havoc on the bay’s habitat and fisheries. The initial phase of the project which is to end in March 2025, has dumped more than 4 million cubic yards of mud into the waters of Mobile Bay since 2020, turning the once clear waters a dusky grey and blanketing the flats, seagrasses and oyster habitats with silt.

Along with funding for these projects, TU has fought for Good Samaritan legislation that would protect anyone working on abandoned mine reclamation from future liability in those sites. It’s a positive step in the right direction in helping restore some of our natural waterways to their original condition.