A mixing zone is an area of a river/stream that allows pollution to be dumped assuming that the flowing water will dilute the effluent to acceptable and legal water standards. Examples of industries that utilize mixing zones in Alaska are wastewater treatment plants, and mines. Specifically, we are seeing colliform and other by products from the wastewater plants and who knows what kind of materials will come out of the mines.

The problem here is that in an anadromous stream, the fish are not localized to any particular area, of course they are either in egg form, alevin, fry smolt or returning to spawn. Salmon are present in anadromous most of the year in one form or another.

I suspect that if you do a google search for anadromous rivers with mixing zones, you will find many in areas where the consumption of fish is restricted because of the potential for heavy metal poisoning, i.e. mercury and lead.

There can be no good out of allowing these mixing zones in Alaskan rivers and streams.