Selenium Contamination from Canadian Coal Mines Threatens Idaho’s Kootenai River, Bonners Ferry Communities
Multinational Mining Corporation’s Operations in Canadian Rockies Send Pollutants Into Idaho Waters
Bonners Ferry, Idaho — Pollution flowing downstream from five mountaintop removal coal mines in the Canadian Rockies is contaminating the Kootenai River as it passes through Idaho and Montana, threatening drinking water supplies, fisheries, and tribal cultural resources in communities including Bonners Ferry. The crisis, which has been escalating since mining operations began in the 1960s, is now the subject of international diplomatic action and growing demands for corporate accountability.
The mines are owned by Glencore, a multinational mining corporation that exports coal primarily to markets in India, China, Japan, and elsewhere in Asia. While Glencore collects profits from those exports, downstream communities in Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia bear the environmental and public health consequences — including elevated concentrations of selenium and other contaminants that threaten aquatic life and water quality.
A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey found that selenium concentrations in the Kootenai watershed have more than quadrupled over the past 38 years — an increase that researchers describe as likely the largest ever recorded in a peer-reviewed study anywhere in the world. By the end of 2022, selenium concentrations had jumped 551 percent above baseline levels.
Historic International Diplomacy Puts Indigenous Nations at the Table
Despite the severity of the contamination, advocates point to a significant development: the Elk-Kootenai watershed crisis has been formally referred to the International Joint Commission under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. This marks the first time in history that this formal diplomatic process has included Indigenous peoples. The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, as part of the broader transboundary Ktunaxa Nation, holds seats at the negotiation table as tribal members work to defend their sustenance fisheries, culture, and way of life.
The IJC is expected to release its recommendations in early 2027. That period will be critical, according to the Idaho Conservation League, which sits on the IJC Public Advisory Group. The organization is pressing for strong regulatory recommendations that are actually implemented by the agencies overseeing the Canadian mines — cautioning that without sustained public pressure, even well-crafted recommendations risk becoming little more than reports that collect dust.
In what advocates called a positive legal development, a Montana District Court recently upheld a protective selenium water quality standard for Lake Koocanusa after Glencore attempted to challenge it. The ruling affirmed science-based selenium limits necessary to protect fish and other aquatic life, and demonstrated that communities can successfully push back against major corporate polluters in court.
The stakes are compounded by Glencore’s announced plans to massively expand its Fording River Mine — an expansion that would, according to advocates, entirely obliterate Castle Mountain and extend mining operations into the 2060s. The proposed expansion would also destroy a rare high-elevation grassland identified as critical habitat for bighorn sheep. The Idaho Conservation League and partner organizations on both sides of the international border are calling on the Canadian government to assign an independent review panel to ensure a transparent and thorough review of the expansion proposal — and to halt any permitting consideration until the IJC process is complete and selenium levels are adequately reduced.
Documentary Film Aims to Build Accountability Ahead of 2027 Decision Point
To raise public awareness ahead of the IJC’s anticipated 2027 recommendations, the Idaho Conservation League is producing Shared Waters, a documentary film that tells the story of the Kootenai watershed under environmental pressure. The film centers on the leadership of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and the broader Ktunaxa Nation, while also highlighting conditions in communities including Fernie, British Columbia, and Bonners Ferry, Idaho.
ICL and its partners plan coordinated screenings in key communities, with public officials invited to participate. The goal is to ensure that decisions about the future of the watershed are made in full public view — with decision-makers held accountable to the communities they affect. North Idaho faces no shortage of environmental concerns, as Idaho Panhandle National Forests are also preparing prescribed burns across multiple districts to address wildfire risk across the region.
The Elk-Kootenai watershed, which provides drinking water and sustenance resources to North Idaho communities and tribal nations, stands at a crossroads. Property rights advocates, tribal governments, and local residents along the Kootenai corridor face a narrowing window to influence regulatory outcomes before the IJC issues its formal recommendations — and before any expansion of Canadian mining operations locks in decades of additional contamination risk.
What Comes Next
The International Joint Commission is expected to release its recommendations for the Elk-Kootenai watershed in early 2027. Community screenings of the Shared Waters documentary are being planned to coincide with that release. A Canadian government decision on whether to assign an independent review panel for the proposed Fording River Mine expansion remains pending. Bonner County residents and stakeholders can monitor developments through the Idaho Conservation League and the IJC Public Advisory Group process. For additional statewide environmental and policy news from Idaho, visit Idaho News.