Iron Sediments From Shuttered Mines Tint Local Waterways

LUEBBENAU, GERMANY - APRIL 17: Local resident Peter Schaetzchen paints the flat-bed canoe called a Kahn that he still uses for transporting firewood and other cargo in the many canals in the Spreewald region on April 17, 2013 near Luebbenau, Germany. The nearby Wudritz creek is heavily burdened with iron from the nearby former Schlabendorf open pit coal mine, which has since been turned into a lake called the Schlabendorfer See. Many creeks and small rivers that feed the Spree River have turned a rich orange or brown, sometimes even red, due to the sediments flowing from several former open pit coal mines. The Spreewald is a popular tourist destination known for its network of canals and local tour operators fear the sediment will turn the waters there orange as well, which could seriously impact the tourist seasons. Though the iron sediment is not poisonous, some local farmers claim they have been forced to filter the water they use to irrigate their fields, and many people report the disappearance of fish and other fauna. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
LUEBBENAU, GERMANY - APRIL 17: Local resident Peter Schaetzchen paints the flat-bed canoe called a Kahn that he still uses for transporting firewood and other cargo in the many canals in the Spreewald region on April 17, 2013 near Luebbenau, Germany. The nearby Wudritz creek is heavily burdened with iron from the nearby former Schlabendorf open pit coal mine, which has since been turned into a lake called the Schlabendorfer See. Many creeks and small rivers that feed the Spree River have turned a rich orange or brown, sometimes even red, due to the sediments flowing from several former open pit coal mines. The Spreewald is a popular tourist destination known for its network of canals and local tour operators fear the sediment will turn the waters there orange as well, which could seriously impact the tourist seasons. Though the iron sediment is not poisonous, some local farmers claim they have been forced to filter the water they use to irrigate their fields, and many people report the disappearance of fish and other fauna. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Iron Sediments From Shuttered Mines Tint Local Waterways
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Credit:
Sean Gallup / Staff
Editorial #:
166888281
Collection:
Getty Images News
Date created:
April 17, 2013
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Source:
Getty Images Europe
Object name:
74241197