BOISE (CN) - Environmentalists say the Atlanta Gold Corp. is poisoning the Boise River by dumping mining chemicals into a tributary in a National Forest.
The Idaho Conservation League and the Northwest Environmental Defense Center sued Atlanta Gold in Federal Court, seeking an end to its dumping of harmful chemicals from its mine near Atlanta, Idaho.
The environmentalists say the mining company is dumping arsenic, iron and acidic pollutants into Montezuma Creek, a tributary of the Boise River, at the mine in the Boise National Forest.
The chemicals can harm humans as well as fish and native aquatic plants, the groups say in their 17-page federal complaint.
They seek an injunction, remediation of environmental damage, and civil penalties of $37,000 per day per violation.
They are represented by Kristin Ruether with Advocates for the West.
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