The mercury levels in the Great Salt Lake "are tragic," Anderson wrote, given the lake's "unique, thriving ecosystem." The amount of mercury in Utah's air and fresh water is "also likely well above safe limits," his letter said.

After the Nevada mining industry sent 21,000 pounds of mercury into the air in 2001, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection devel- oped a voluntary reduction program with the state's five gold-mine sites and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2002.

By 2004, mercury emissions were down by 82 percent to 3,755 pounds, according to the Nevada commission. Still, that's four times the emissions for the entire state of Utah, say officials at the Utah Division of Air Quality.

Wagner at the Sierra Club would like Nevada to require at least quarterly monitoring at mines. As the rule stands, he said, mining operators only have to monitor once a year to make sure they are in compliance.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com