Soil and groundwater in parts of Northern Idaho and Northeastern Washington are still contaminated with pollutants such as cadmium, lead, zinc, silver and arsenic as a result of early mining and milling operations that took place in this region over 100 years ago. The Coeur d’Alene River Basin Cleanup Site has been undergoing remediation since the 1980s as part of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly referred to as the Superfund. After more than 30 years of work on this site, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) are beginning to plan to downsize the program.
Get Your Soil and Private Well Tested
DEQ is encouraging those who live in the Coeur d’Alene River Basin to get their soil and private wells tested as part of the DEQ’s Basin Property Remediation Program before the program is officially downsized. Testing is free for owners, and if remediation of your property is required, DEQ will perform the work at no cost to the owners. Get the details if you are interested in having your soil and private well tested.
More about the Superfund Site
If you are interested in more background information, I encourage you to check out EPA’s webpage for the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Superfund Site. They’ve just finished their fourth 5-year review of this project, which details the remediation work that has been completed and the contamination reductions they have achieved.