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The Washington State Attorney General (“AG”) filed on May 7th a Complaint in the United States District Court (Eastern District of Washington) against Crown Resources Corporation and Kinross Gold for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act.
The two companies are stated to own the Buckhorn Mountain gold mine (“Mine”) in Okanogan County, Washington.
The Mine is described as a 50 acre underground gold mine. It is stated to include mining tunnels that lie below the water table.
Ore extraction is stated to have ceased. However, it is alleged that contaminants continue to be released from the mine.
The Complaint alleges past and ongoing violations of a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) permit. The alleged NPDES permit violations are stated to include:
- Effluent Limit Violations
- Failure to Maintain Capture Zone
- Trigger Exceedance Violations
- Reporting Violations
- Notification and Planning Violations
A copy of the Complaint can be downloaded here.
