Transportation Agency Hit For Polluting Sand Creek

An environmental group has attacked the Idaho Department of Transportation for a highway project here that has polluted Sand Creek and destroyed nearly four acres of wetlands.

The Clark Fork-Pend Oreille Coalition and five residents filed a complaint with highway officials this week. It says the state has repeatedly violated water quality laws while building a new section of U.S. Highway 95 north of Sandpoint.

“We are asking the ITD to fix in the next 60 days what they have been unwilling to fix in the past four months and to obey the law like everyone else,” said Diane Williams, a spokesman for the coalition.

The transportation department admits its $6.8 million reconstruction project has had problems.

A new 400-foot section of road bed was built in a bog and sunk about 10 feet. Tons of fill packed into a wetland also raised a stream bed and two acres of land nearby. Some of the damaged land is bulging 13 feet above the surrounding ground.

Other areas have eroded into Sand Creek and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ordered work stopped on portions of the project last year.

“It’s our intent to take care of all the problems and we have plans under way,” said Tom Baker, the transportation department’s district engineer.

Some erosion control work is already being done, and engineering consultants were brought in to help fix the sunken road bed, Baker said.

It’s still unclear if the damaged wetlands can be repaired or if new wetlands will have to be created elsewhere.

The state Transportation Board plans to tour the project next week and discuss problems with the coalition and residents.

Williams said the complaint was lodged because highway officials have reacted slowly.

“Sediment has been going into the water nearly every day from commencement of construction (last December),” the complaint said. It also requests the department be fined $25,000 a day until problems are corrected.

The Division of Environmental Quality also has complained about poor planning and shoddy work on the project.

“The ITD needs to be called on the carpet for their costly and blatant disregard for laws that protect water quality,” said Sandpoint attorney Charleton Mills. He signed the complaint along with Coeur d’Alene attorney Scott Reed.

“This project will wind up costing taxpayers much more than its original $6.8 million price tag, all because ITD didn’t do their homework,” Mills said.