What Stumpjumper is saying is misleading at best. The metal concentrations in local soils are totally irrelevant to what water runoff from mining would do the concentrations of metals in the streams in the area. Heavy rain events will inevitably create a large and uncontrollable water runoff problem from a quarry and release several metals, not just aluminum, into the local watershed. The same metals will be inevitably be absorbed by the local aquatic wildlife. Also his comment that neutralizing an acidic effluent is benign is also incorrect, since the neutralizing an acidic solution by adding caustic creates salts in the solution, and in turn affect the salinity of the watershed. The effluent from the local hatchery does not contain metal pollutants as it is organic in nature and ultimately enriches the stream by providing a base for the food chain.

The question I pose back to Stumpjumper is when do we draw the line and preserve an enjoyable wild area and forgo the destruction of land for profit? If we don’t keep Shaver’s Fork clean and pristine, then where?

All outdoorsman need to get involved with causes like this. Google pebble mine, read the article, then email Alaskan Gov. Palin to voice your concerns. She is in favor of this mine which could destroy some of the most pristine waterways left in the world.

The issue is mute. The permit has been issued. Regarding the effluent aluminum, it is naturally occuring in clay soils in this area. Do we wish to ask for limits above naturally ocurring background media? The chemical used to treat aluminum could prove a greater impact on the Shavers Fork than the effluent limits being discussed.
A good understading of the hydrologic process is needed to avoid reaction to a visual impact vs. an environmental one. Background concentrations are imparitive and native soils concentrations can vary from 10,000 ppm to 300,000 ppm. Chemical buffering, the shift in pH of a solution from either acidic or base to neutral is in and of itself utilizing the addition of a an acid or base. These are usually not transported or stored as weak, but rather highly concentrated product.
The picture is far greater that that presented. I would like to know how many campers/camps in Bowden, WV have approved septic service. Wake up America, you should see the discharge into the Shavers when the runs are washed out at the Hatchery.

Fisherlady, after spending the weekend fishing the Greenbrier and a handful of her tributaries in the Marlington area with some dear friends, I can relate to and support what you're saying here. I would like to post a secondary question to your question then if I may. What about the windmills at Mt. Storm? I wouldn't want to look out my kitchen window and see nothing but a forest of those monsters! WV thrives on coal, yet an earlier post warns of the dangers of mining. Here in our area, hydrofracking is the hot topic as it was proposed and fought by the locals. Then of course there's all of the oil issues in the Gulf. My point is, yes, by all means let's protect our environment. My family and I did not sign a gas lease because we decided we'd rather see woods and fields clear than drilling rigs, but we also need energy, so where do we turn? Please don't misunderstand, I'm not disagreeing with you, just trying to be a bit objective and thought provoking. Some day, we're going to have to pick the lesser of the evils. Which will it be?