Hailey Smalley | Daily Inter Lake
This summer, researchers are slated to begin a new $4.9 million transboundary study aimed at promoting “a common understanding” of longstanding pollution concerns in the Kootenai River system.
The International Joint Commission, the entity charged with resolving transboundary water disputes between the U.S. and Canada, ordered the study in March 2024 amid rising concerns about the effect that British Columbia mining operations are having on regional water quality. Runoff from the mines flows into the Elk River, a major tributary of the Kootenai River.