Caleb Uerling, a fisheries biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, believes the high conductivity of treated Berkeley ...

Caleb Uerling, a fisheries biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, believes the high conductivity of treated Berkeley Pit water discharged into Silver Bow Creek could affect trout.

MISSOULA — It would dwarf the Berkeley Pit: A hole blasted and dug into the Alaskan landscape about a half-mile deep and 2.5 miles across. What could go wrong in the pursuit of what’s touted ...

Berkeley Pit, an open-pit copper mine that has been allowed to fill with water since its closure in 1982, is seen in this October, 2003 file photo. Credit: WALTER HINICK /THE MONTANA STANDARD VIA ...

Surface waters that drain this area contain heavy metal contaminated mineral nanoparticles. Such environmental nanoparticles contribute to the transport of these metals up to 500 km downstream.

There’s another variable Uerling has considered — changes in stream “conductivity” linked to the discharge of treated mine water from the Berkeley Pit. That water has been discharged since ...