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Clean Water In Budget Draft House, Senate Expected To Approve Funds For Area Cleanup Projects

By Erica Curless ericac@spokesman.com(509) 459-5439

Cleanup of Silver Valley’s contaminated water is ahead of schedule and the Legislature is asking for more money to keep the job going.

The Legislature’s budget committee voted unanimously Friday to give $1.2 million in spending authority for projects in Frisco, Canyon Creek, Osburn, Milo Creek and Interstate Mine. The measure now goes to the House and Senate for final approval.

Chuck Moss, chairman of the Silver Valley Natural Resource Trust Fund, said good weather last year enabled crews to work four weeks longer, so the trustees need more money to carry the cleanup contracts until July 1998 when the new budget year begins.

As soon as the Legislature gives final approval and the winter weather breaks, Moss said workers are ready to start removing tailings from the streams and hauling the zinc, lead and arsenic contaminated soil to a repository. Workers should complete the project in 2000.

Rep. Don Pischner, R-Coeur d’Alene, said continuing the projects will help the Silver Valley enormously.

“It isn’t going to make sense to go in and rake all the leaves up in a 21-mile Superfund site without fixing the roots of the trees,” said Pischner, who sits on the budget committee.

The committee also approved $8.2 million to repair the drainage system on Milo Creek, which was damaged by last year’s floods. Gushing water sent contaminated rock and gravel from the old Bunker Hill mine shooting through the decrepit storm sewer pipe, breaking the wooden line and causing recontamination of Wardner residents’ yards.

Federal emergency money was used to clean up the disaster. The new drainage system will prevent further problems caused by flooding, Moss said.

If the Legislature allows the expenditure, Moss said the project could get started in March and be finished by October.

The state Bureau of Hazardous Materials won approval from the committee for $17,400 to reimburse its fund for the cleanup of a diesel spill in Sandpoint that leaked fuel into Lake Pend Oreille.

Both the House and Senate are expected to approve all three of the spending requests.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: OTHER EXPENDITURES The Legislature’s budget committee approved $8.2 million to repair the drainage system on Milo Creek, which was damaged by last year’s floods. It also approved a $17,400 reimbursement to the state Bureau of Hazardous Materials fund for the cleanup of a diesel spill in Sandpoint that leaked fuel into Lake Pend Oreille.

This sidebar appeared with the story: OTHER EXPENDITURES The Legislature’s budget committee approved $8.2 million to repair the drainage system on Milo Creek, which was damaged by last year’s floods. It also approved a $17,400 reimbursement to the state Bureau of Hazardous Materials fund for the cleanup of a diesel spill in Sandpoint that leaked fuel into Lake Pend Oreille.