Slovakia’s Slana River Runs Red From Abandoned Mine Runoff, Devastating Wildlife

The Slana River in Slovakia's eastern Kosice province flows past several abandoned mine shafts. An iron ore known as siderite was once extracted from the mines. Those mining operations have ceased. But their effects continue to be seen and felt. Runoff from the mines mingles with the Slana, turning its waters and everything those waters touch red. Reportedly, the pollution has devastated the river’s population of fish and other wildlife.