"Alaska Clean Water Advocacy"

The Palmer development, near a glacier above the salmon-bearing Chilkat River, has for years fueled political divisions in the town of Haines. Now it’s getting a new owner, raising questions about the project’s future.

A state agency asked Constantine to complete a study to see if water from its discharge sites will move to nearby surface waters.

There’s no mine yet at the Palmer Project site. But a small cadre of scientists live there for half the year, looking for minerals.

The unannounced visit came as state regulators reconsider a wastewater permit for the proposed metals mine north of Haines.

American Rivers, a national advocacy group opposed to mining and energy development in wilderness areas, says the two Southeast Alaska rivers are “at a crossroads.”