Conflicting claims to the San Juan River, which snakes through the southern jungle of Nicaragua and forms a 120-mile (190-km) border with neighboring Costa Rica, have long generated political tension between the two countries. But many residents on each side of the aquatic boundary appear to agree on one point: an open-pit gold mine under construction four miles (seven kms) inside Costa Rican territory poses a serious environmental threat to the area and to the river itself. A prime reason is that the river flowing past the project site—Río Infiernito, or Little Hell River—could carry contaminants into the San Juan in the event of a chemical spill or heavy-metal leaching. That, conservationists warn, would threaten the San Juan’s water... [Log in to read more]