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One of the most under-publicized problems facing environmental health in the
United States is that of toxic waste emissions or acid mine drainage (AMD) from
abandoned mining sites in the American West. It threatens the quality of the
drinking water supply for most of the western and southwestern United States
with contamination of toxic heavy metals and high levels of acidity.
More effective and creative solutions must be found to combat this problem quickly, in order to prevent irreparable damage to the wildlife, plant life, and water supply of America's West.
Some mining companies, their employees, and others who are involved in the mining industry and benefit from streamlined mining operations would have the public believe that there is no problem. These people argue that the contamination introduced into the watersheds is minimal or even non-existent, and the damage to the environment is minute. This naive viewpoint is the primary reason why little or nothing has been done to correct this monumental problem. There is definitely a problem, as I shall explain.