The Elk River valley is in the east Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. There are five coal mines in the watershed. One is scheduled to close at the end of 2017. Two have recently been approved for expansion. Three new coal mines are proposed and are currently in the environmental assessment process.

Coal mining in this region involves blasting the seams from the mountains and removing the coal from surrounding blast rock. Every ton of coal comes with ten or more tons of waste rubble.

In its original tomb in the mountain, the rock is benign. Crushed and piled in natural funnels of the Kootenay landscape it becomes toxic. Water from snowmelt, rain or former creeks percolates through the rubble piles and extracts contaminants that flush down the drainages into local creeks and rivers.

Although mining has recently slowed in the region due to low coal prices, existing waste piles will continue to leach for decades.