Contract Awarded In Tailings Project

A second major construction contract has been awarded in a project to remove metals-contaminated mine tailings from the Canyon Creek floodplain.

The creek flows into the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. The work will be done near Woodland Park, north of Wallace.

The Silver Valley Natural Resource Trustees awarded the $226,940 contract to Tommer Construction Inc. of Ephrata, Wash. Tommer agreed to hire as many local employees as possible.

Tommer was the low bidder for removing tailings from the Canyon Silver mill site in the Formosa reach of the floodplain, said coordinator Marti Calabretta.

Money for the cleanup comes from a fund established when mining companies reached a settlement with the state of Idaho over metals contamination in the Coeur d’Alene River basin. , DataTimes