Looking alright at Midnite. Last week the EPA issued a unilateral administrative order to mining company Newmont USA Limited and its subsidiary Dawn Mining Company, LLC, to continue treating contaminated water at the Midnite Mine Superfund Site just northwest of Spokane on the Spokane Indian Reservation.
Midnite Mine Pit #3
From the 1950’s to 1981, the two companies operated an open pit uranium mine on the land that Blue Creek flows through, a creek that continues southeast to the Spokane River. The order requires the companies to continue treating water to remove uranium and other heavy metals and to find a place to dispose of the treated water which after treatment becomes a sludge that is classified as low-level radioactive waste. Previously the companies have been disposing of the water at the old mill site where they treated the ore.
Sierra Club and Center for Environmental Law & Policy question wastewater treatment contract Spokane County poised to enter. Rachael Paschal Osborn, Spokane River Project Coordinator for the Sierra Club sent the letter to Spokane County Commissioners urging them to reconsider alternatives before agreeing on a contract with CH2MHil for a new wastewater treatment facility, a project County Commissioner Todd Mielke has predicted could cost $500 to $800 million and could potentially pose irreversible damage to the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. “Cheaper and much more effective technology is available,” said Paschal Osborn. “Spokane County has never seriously evaluated the alternatives.” Two of the main points from the letter are; “Plant design is inadequate to address sewage overflows to the Spokane River and the County’s proposal to remove septic systems in exchange for discharging pollution into the River will not pass legal muster.” Read the letter HERE.
Spokane Clean Air. Last weekend, the National Weather Service issued an air stagnation advisory throughout the Inland Northwest, which warned of rising air pollution levels from woodstoves, automobiles, and other sources. In Coeur d' Alene, the Department of Environmental Quality issued a residential burn ban, and while The Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency has not ordered any burning restrictions, they are asking residents to keep from burning is possible. If you do burn, the agency says, use dry, seasoned wood and minimize smoke. The air stagnation comes from a high-pressure area moving over the region, causing a cold, ground level layer that prevents ventilation and mixes pollutants.
For updates, check www.spokanecleanir.org. They monitor air quality daily and provide email notifications with pollution levels, burn ban information, regulation/rule changes, and more. Also, try their 24-hr Air Quality Info Line at 509-477-2571.
Have you heard about Obama’s proposed Office of Urban Policy? According to David Goldberg at Transportation for America, it "is conceived as something of a supercabinet position that potentially could coordinate policy among the Department of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, environment, public health and other arenas." Sounds pretty sweet, eh? Now, the gang over at Walkscore is all over it, hosting a new site for suggestions like ending subsidies for car-dependent development. Check it out, leave a comment, and let’s keep the dialogue of progress moving. And while you’re at the home page, have fun by entering your address to rate your walkability.
The DTE blog is committed to reporting and sharing environmental news and sustainability information from across the Inland Northwest.
Midnite Mine Pit #3
From the 1950’s to 1981, the two companies operated an open pit uranium mine on the land that Blue Creek flows through, a creek that continues southeast to the Spokane River. The order requires the companies to continue treating water to remove uranium and other heavy metals and to find a place to dispose of the treated water which after treatment becomes a sludge that is classified as low-level radioactive waste. Previously the companies have been disposing of the water at the old mill site where they treated the ore.
Sierra Club and Center for Environmental Law & Policy question wastewater treatment contract Spokane County poised to enter. Rachael Paschal Osborn, Spokane River Project Coordinator for the Sierra Club sent the letter to Spokane County Commissioners urging them to reconsider alternatives before agreeing on a contract with CH2MHil for a new wastewater treatment facility, a project County Commissioner Todd Mielke has predicted could cost $500 to $800 million and could potentially pose irreversible damage to the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. “Cheaper and much more effective technology is available,” said Paschal Osborn. “Spokane County has never seriously evaluated the alternatives.” Two of the main points from the letter are; “Plant design is inadequate to address sewage overflows to the Spokane River and the County’s proposal to remove septic systems in exchange for discharging pollution into the River will not pass legal muster.” Read the letter HERE.
Spokane Clean Air. Last weekend, the National Weather Service issued an air stagnation advisory throughout the Inland Northwest, which warned of rising air pollution levels from woodstoves, automobiles, and other sources. In Coeur d' Alene, the Department of Environmental Quality issued a residential burn ban, and while The Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency has not ordered any burning restrictions, they are asking residents to keep from burning is possible. If you do burn, the agency says, use dry, seasoned wood and minimize smoke. The air stagnation comes from a high-pressure area moving over the region, causing a cold, ground level layer that prevents ventilation and mixes pollutants.
For updates, check www.spokanecleanir.org. They monitor air quality daily and provide email notifications with pollution levels, burn ban information, regulation/rule changes, and more. Also, try their 24-hr Air Quality Info Line at 509-477-2571.
Have you heard about Obama’s proposed Office of Urban Policy? According to David Goldberg at Transportation for America, it "is conceived as something of a supercabinet position that potentially could coordinate policy among the Department of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, environment, public health and other arenas." Sounds pretty sweet, eh? Now, the gang over at Walkscore is all over it, hosting a new site for suggestions like ending subsidies for car-dependent development. Check it out, leave a comment, and let’s keep the dialogue of progress moving. And while you’re at the home page, have fun by entering your address to rate your walkability.
