Copper Basin Mining District Historic Photographs

Description: This is a photograph of the huge amount of sediment in the upper end of Parksville Reservoir that is exposed when the water level is lowered to winter pool. This sedimentation is a result of historic denuding within the Copper Basin and past waste management practices. These sediments alter physical habitat and contain acid-generating sulfide and metal compounds that impact the aquatic ecosystem within the reservoir. This is the most dramatic example, but similar sediments are deposited in other locations throughout the Ocoee River system downstream of Copper Basin.

Photo Index