Snake River Pcb Project May Run $100,000

Government officials are removing toxic wastes along the Snake River in a cleanup effort that could cost $100,000.

About 75 electrical capacitors leaking toxic oils, discovered within sight of Lizard Butte, have been removed from the river bank where they were buried nearly 40 years ago.

They were sent to a hazardous waste dump near Grand View last month and may be shipped out of state for final disposal, Owyhee County Sheriff Gary Aman said.

The entire cleanup should be finished by the end of July, but it will take months to determine who will pay the bill, said Mike Ingham of the Division of Environmental Quality.

Preliminary studies of soil samples from the river bank show that it contains high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Research has linked polychlorinated biphenyls to various health problems, including cancer and birth defects.

Dozens of families in an adjacent neighborhood, however, are in no immediate danger, officials said.

More sophisticated tests on the soil and river bed will be performed this week by the Environmental Protection Agency to determine how extensive the contamination is, Ingham said.

Division of Environmental Quality officials believe polychlorinated biphenyl-laden oil from the capacitors may have seeped into the river bed several feet away.

Once contaminated sites are identified, the soil and affected river bed will be removed and replaced with clean fill. That could begin by the end of this week, Ingham said.

At the same time, Fish and Game officials will study bottom-dwelling fish in the river to determine if polychlorinated biphenyls have polluted the food chain.