River Cleanup To Get $80,000 More

Idaho Gov. Phil Batt announced Friday that the state and four mining companies will contribute a combined $80,000 in additional money for Coeur d’Alene River cleanup.

According to a statement from the governor’s office, the state Division of Environmental Quality set aside $40,000 for river projects. Another $40,000 will come from Hecla Mining Co.; Coeur d’Alene Mines; ASARCO Inc.; and Sunshine Mining and Refining Co.

Batt’s press release states that the money is for “on-the-ground projects … which may include stabilization of the river banks and adding vegetation to reduce erosion.”

Officials at the governor’s office and the mining companies couldn’t be reached after Batt issued his press release, shortly before 5 p.m. Friday.

The federal government is spending about $126 million to clean up the 21-square-mile Bunker Hill Superfund site in the Coeur d’Alene River Basin. Private parties, including mining companies, are spending $41 million on the work.

The Environmental Protection Agency is conducting studies to determine whether cleanup should spread to the entire river basin.

Batt’s announcement comes a week after a U.S. News & World Report article in which Lake Coeur d’Alene was called the most polluted body of water in the region. The magazine article, which was widely criticized by North Idaho businesses and state and local officials, included a doctor’s warning that he wouldn’t let children swim in the water.

Batt didn’t mention the article in his announcement but noted that Panhandle District Health officials “say there is no threat to public safety in Lake Coeur d’Alene. That should come as welcome news as we get under way with cleanup activities from mining in the basin.”