The National Mining Association
promotes mining in the United
States. They say that most mining waste is just dirt and rock
and that
it should NOT be treated as hazardous waste. They also say
that the water quality is good near the mines and that they
"sometimes leave a tributary cleaner below a mine than above."
I find that hard to believe. Many of their links to environmental
issues related
to mining did not work. I wonder if that is a coincidence.