Scientific Studies of The Pebble Project
A very large amount of site-specific baseline data and scientific studies of potential environmental and social effects have been and are being conducted by the project operators and their consultants, as is normal for any large industrial project. These studies address a varied and interconnected group of concerns, much of them focused on water quality. Among these are: potential Acid mine drainage - the chemical stability and weathering products of the tailings (waste rock) removed from the mine and of the newly exposed and blast-fractured rocks within the proposed mine; seismic risks to the impoundment systems designed to contain the tailings and to control their chemical behavior; and the effects of road and bridge construction on fish habitat.
Public interest in the project has also resulted in outside, and opposing, interests publishing scientific reviews of available data and comparisons with other projects. These include reports or summaries on; seismic risks, acid rock drainage, effects of roads and bridges on fish (roads supporting the Pebble mine could cross 20 known salmon streams), and general water pollution-related concerns.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency is conducting a scientific review of the Bristol Bay watershed focused on the Nushagak and Kvichak river drainages, in response to petitions from organizations opposed to Pebble. The report is expected to reach the public-comment stage in late 2011.
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