TU calls for river protection near Pebble

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Trout Unlimited and several other organizations are calling on the state to protect the Koktuli River in southwest Alaska.

The conservation group wants the river designated as an Outstanding National Resource Water, which is a designation under the Clean Water Act.

Trout Unlimited says the river is facing unprecedented threats from the proposed Pebble Mine, a huge copper and gold deposit near the world's best salmon streams.

The designation would bar any new or increased pollution discharges within the river.

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation is the agency that identifies Outstanding National Resource Waters with help from the public.