Mining Pollution Topic Of Meeting

Pollution leaking from the old Silver Crescent mine near Kellogg will be the topic of a public information meeting sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service on Jan. 22.

Arsenic, mercury and other pollutants are leaking from the mine into the East Fork of Moon Creek, which feeds the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River, according to the Forest Service.

The agency is planning a reclamation project to clean up the old mine beginning next summer. The cleanup could cost between $1.3 million and $3 million and take two years.

Agency representatives will explain the cleanup alternatives and details of the project at the public meeting. The meeting is scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Wallace Ranger District office in Silverton.

, DataTimes