Effects of Mining on Aquatic Communities in the Salmon River Watershed

Mining has an important impact of concern in our natural environment. The Salmon River Watershed of Idaho is a region of current ecological and recreational value in the Western United States, but has a long history of heavy metal mining and corresponding contamination. We investigated the relationship between mines and aquatic communities by looking at mine density and changes in biodiversity for aquatic macroinvertebrates. We also compared mine density with stream quality categories determined by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. While slight correlations were found between these variables, they were not found to be statistically significant. We recommend both increased water quality in the Salmon River Watershed and further surveying of mines to better understand the downstream effects of historical and present mines within the area.