HELENA
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality says a naturally caused blowout of an old mine entrance discolored at least a three-mile stretch of the Little Blackfoot River. The agency sent inspectors Tuesday afternoon to investigate reports from hunters of discolored flows near the river's headwaters. The DEQ said a preliminary investigation indicates the reddish- brown discharge came when an adit the entrance to an underground mine blew out about seven miles southeast of Elliston. The agency said it appeared to be a non-operational mine dating from before 1900. "The inspectors believe that sediment and other materials had been building up in the adit for quite some time," DEQ spokeswoman Lisa Peterson said in a statement e-mailed to news media Tuesday evening. "The force of the flow washed out a nearby road and knocked (over) some unoccupied buildings. At the time of the inspection at least three miles of the river had been affected," Peterson said. "At this time the DEQ believes that the worst of the incident is over as clean water begins to flow from the adit. However, downstream effects may continue to be seen." Samples from the site have been sent to a laboratory for analysis and results are expected on today, the DEQ spokeswoman said. (AP)
