The startling revelation that unhealthy levels of mercury have been discovered in brown trout residing in Silver Creek appears to have lit a fire under the Blaine County Commission.
At a meeting Tuesday, the commissioners listened to Trish Klahr, The Nature Conservancy's watershed manager for the 883-acre Silver Creek Preserve near Picabo, discuss the troubling news. The information is based on a sampling of 20 brown trout caught in the creek.
The Idaho chapter of The Nature Conservancy paid for the survey, carried out by the U.S. Geological Survey in June.
According to preliminary results, levels of mercury found in the brown trout exceed that considered safe for human consumption. Mercury is an element known to be especially harmful to pregnant women and children.
If the results hold up, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare will likely release a fish advisory, cautioning people against eating fish from Silver Creek, department Program Manager Jim Vannoy said last week.
And while the preliminary results from the study don't pinpoint sources of the contaminant, early investigation suggests the culprits could at least in part be industrial gold-mining operations in northern Nevada and a concrete plant across the state line in Durkee, Ore. Both are upwind from the creek and are known sources of airborne mercury.
What this suggests is that the problem is one of widespread significance for the entire West, Blaine County Commissioner Larry Schoen said Tuesday.
"It's a statewide issue. It's a regional issue," Schoen said.
And he said it's one that must be approached in a serious manner by Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter.
"I really think we have an opportunity to express our concern about this," he said.
To express the commission's concerns, Schoen will draft a letter to Otter.
In a state known for its varied natural resources and numerous outdoor recreational amenities, a problem like mercury contamination is considered a potentially devastating threat.
Locally, the news calls into question the tourism draw of places like Silver Creek, the commissioners said. The renowned trout fishery attracts fishing enthusiasts from around the world and significantly impacts the local economy.
"I just hope this doesn't hurt us as a world-class fishery," Commissioner Sarah Michael said.
Klahr told the commissioners that most experts believe mercury contamination like that seen in Silver Creek isn't locally generated, but is coming from regional atmospheric sources.
"That's sort of the assumption we're working on," she said.
Potential manmade sources that may contribute to the Silver Creek mercury issue include coal-fired power plants and mining. Mining releases mercury into the air during the smelting process.
The Nature Conservancy commissioned the recent survey of Silver Creek brown trout because of high mercury readings discovered in other waterways throughout southern Idaho, Silver Creek Preserve Manager Dayna Gross said late last week.
Gross said high levels of mercury were found in 2004 when the USGS sampled fish in Silver Creek. However, she said, those results weren't considered conclusive because the tissue samples were treated improperly before being tested.
"We asked them to take more samples this year," Gross said.
She said this year's samples will be used as a baseline for future testing.
"We don't know how much has been in the system historically," she said.
An angler tries his luck in the famed fishing waters of Silver Creek, near Picabo. Photo by Mountain Express
