Wash. pollution case tests international law

Published October 22, 2012 8:43pm ET



SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The glistening waters and sandy beaches of the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area have drawn millions of tourists over the years.

But the lake for decades also collected wastes dumped into the Columbia River from one of the world’s largest lead and zinc smelters, just across the border in Trail, British Columbia. Now, in a landmark case, a federal judge in Yakima soon will decide if the Canadian smelter operator is subject to the U.S. Superfund law and must pay to clean up nearly a century of pollution.

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