Elk River (British Columbia)
Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox river The Elk River is a Template:Convert long river,<ref name=balance>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> in the southeastern Kootenay district of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its drainage basin is Template:Convert in area.<ref name=balance/> Its mean discharge is approximately Template:Convert, with a maximum recorded discharge of Template:Convert.<ref name=bchydro>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is a tributary of the Kootenay River, and falls within the basin of the Columbia River.
Course
The Elk River originates from the Elk Lakes near the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains.<ref name=bchydro/> It flows through the Elk Valley in a southwesterly direction, joining the Kootenay River in Lake Koocanusa, just north of the British Columbia-Montana border. Its waters ultimately join the Columbia River and flow towards the Pacific Ocean.
The Elk River runs through the communities of Elkford, Sparwood, Hosmer, Fernie, and Elko.
History
David Thompson travelled along the Elk River in 1811, and called it the Stag River. James Sinclair's second settlement expedition to the Pacific Northwest from the Red River Colony made a difficult crossing from the Kananaskis River valley into the Columbia–Kootenays via the Elk in 1854. The river was labelled Elk River on John Palliser's 1857–58 map and "Stag or Elk River" on Arrowsmith's 1862 map.<ref name=bcgnis>Template:Cite bcgnis</ref>
Elko Dam
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Elko Dam was built by East Kootenay Power Company on the Elk River in 1924. It is a run-of-the-river dam Template:Convert tall and Template:Convert long. The powerhouse has two Francis turbines producing 12MW of electricity.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is about Template:Convert upriver from the Elk's confluence with Lake Koocanusa.<ref name=bchydro/> It is operated by BC Hydro.
Coal mining impacts
The Elk River Valley is home to four large open-pit coal mines, producing steel-making coal. For many years increased selenium, phosphate and nitrate levels have been linked to the continued expansion of the mining. Selenium levels continue to exceed the guidelines for human health.<ref>C. Lussier, V. Veiga and S. Baldwin, "The geochemistry of selenium associated with coal waste in the Elk River Valley, Canada", Environmental Geology 44.8, October 2007, pp. 905-13, abstract.</ref> The selenium pollution has heavily impacted the cutthroat trout in the river, which suffer from deformation of their gills.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref>
Glencore, as the operator of the coal mines that are the source of the selenium pollution, is working to implement selenium management strategies.<ref>Your Concerns, Our Response: Selenium Management Template:Webarchive, Teck 2009 Sustainability Report, retrieved 16 February 2011.</ref><ref name=":0" /> They operate the West Line Creek Active Water Treatment Plant. British Columbia provincial officials agreed to involve to International Joint Commission in 2024. While tribes in the U.S. and Canada have long desired this, BC officials have previously resisted commission involvement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Fishing
The Elk River is a popular fly-fishing destination for cutthroat and bull trout.