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Epa Slaps Fine On Sunshine Mine

Craig Welch And John Miller S Staff writer

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed a complaint against Sunshine Mining and Refining Co. on Monday, accusing the company of 49 water quality violations between 1992 and 1996.

The EPA is asking the Kellogg-based firm to pay $125,000 in penalties.

According to the EPA, the alleged illegal discharges were made from the Sunshine mine tailings pond into the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River and from a diversion dam into Big Creek.

Forty of the alleged violations involved concentrations of heavy metals, including iron, manganese, gold, nickel, silver and zinc, the EPA said.

Falcon Price, project engineer with the silver mine, suggested the violations were minor. But members of a state conservation group said the complaint doesn’t go far enough.

“Unfortunately, the initial dollar amount put forth usually is scaled back,” said Scott Brown of the Idaho Conservation League. “I would say that for these egregious violations, this is a pittance.”

Price said Sunshine’s track record on discharges from the tailings pond is good.

With more than 44,000 “compliance points,” the EPA has had trouble with 49 readings, he said.

“Our compliance rate in the last five years is, I think, 99.73 percent,” Price said. “There were times in the last five years when we’ve exceeded our discharges on iron and manganese and zinc once. I think that speaks for itself.”

But the EPA said the company violated water discharge levels established by its permit - even after the agency temporarily reduced its standards, allowing the mine to operate under less-stringent requirements.

The penalty sought is less than the maximum of $10,000 per violation allowed under the federal Clean Water Act.

EPA officials settled on $125,000 after considering the nature and severity of the alleged violations, the economic benefit Sunshine Mining received as a result of the alleged violations and the company’s compliance history.

The company has 20 days to challenge the EPA allegations and the proposed penalty.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: $125,000 PENALTY The EPA wants the Sunshine mine complex to pay $125,000 for discharging excessive levels of heavy metals into the Coeur d’Alene River and Big Creek. The agency contends discharges from a tailings pond and a diversion dam exceeded permitted levels of gold, nickel, iron, manganese, silver and zinc 40 times between fall 1992 and fall 1996.

This sidebar appeared with the story: $125,000 PENALTY The EPA wants the Sunshine mine complex to pay $125,000 for discharging excessive levels of heavy metals into the Coeur d’Alene River and Big Creek. The agency contends discharges from a tailings pond and a diversion dam exceeded permitted levels of gold, nickel, iron, manganese, silver and zinc 40 times between fall 1992 and fall 1996.