A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency watershed assessment of the proposed Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska suggests the mine and its related infrastructure could destroy as much as 94 miles of streams and up to 5,300 acres of wetlands, ponds and lakes.
Backers of the controversial mine say the project—which could include a large containment pond, waste treatment facilities, roads, a pipeline and a highly engineered earthen dam to store waste by-products, or tailings—could cost up to $8 billion to construct.