Batt Signs Clean-Up Contract For Bunker Hill

Gov. Phil Batt has signed a state contract with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to clean up the pollution at the Bunker Hill Superfund site in the Silver Valley.

The federal government will pay $115 million toward the project, while the state’s portion is $11.5 million. The total program, including money from private companies involved with the now-defunct smelter, is expected to cost about $200 million.

Lawmakers approved Batt’s $2.3 million appropriation for the job this session. The remaining amount is expected to be spent over the next ten years.

“Most of the cleanup at Bunker Hill will happen over the next five years,” he said. “That means we will be able to put that land back on the tax rolls and into the hands of developers.”