Cda Study On Erosion Pared Down Basin Commission Frustrated By Slowdowns Caused By Opposition Of Federal, Tribal Experts

If a state erosion-control experiment along the Coeur d’Alene River begins this winter, it will be much smaller than planned.

The Coeur d’Alene River Basin Commission on Thursday seriously considered dropping the entire project, on which it has spent $40,000.

Members were frustrated by the time-consuming opposition of federal and tribal scientists, who have raised questions about the effort to reduce erosion of the metals-contaminated Coeur d’Alene River shoreline.

“If we’re going to go through two or three more months of battling, I’m not going to pay any more contractors,” said Jim Yost, who represents Gov. Phil Batt on the governor-appointed commission.

All parties ultimately agreed to try to get a scaled-down version under way. But the incident highlighted continued tension among people trying to deal with widespread mining-related toxic waste.

State officials, who works with a tight budget and the cooperation of mining companies, have taken pride in getting metals removed from streambeds in the upper Coeur d’Alene River basin. They want to extend their work to the lower river.

Marti Calabretta, who coordinates the state projects, distributed a list of them at Thursday’s commission meeting.

“That’s just to show you how railroads should be built as opposed to what we’re now involved in,” she said.

Matt Fein of Hecla Mining Co., another commission member, bluntly said that if the bank stabilization didn’t proceed it would be the fault of the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Coeur d’Alene Tribe. All of those parties have asked the Corps of Engineers not to issue a permit for the project until their concerns are addressed.

Earl Liverman of EPA took exception to Fein’s comment.

If the project doesn’t get the necessary approval, he said, that will be because it is flawed.

“We’re committed to sitting down and trying to make this work,” Liverman added.

EPA has offered to consider making a smaller version of the berm experiment part of its own investigation of metals contamination. That would eliminate the need for a Corps of Engineers permit.

The erosion control experiment would take place between the Cataldo Mission and Rose Lake. There is an estimated 15,600 feet of severe shoreline erosion in that 5-mile stretch and 23,700 feet of moderate erosion.

The state is seeking a permit for three years of work and had hoped to install 6,000 feet of berms this winter. However, to help overcome objections, Calabretta said she would reduce that figure to 1,500 feet.

An agreement must be reached by Dec. 15, Calabretta said, if any work is going to get done this season. The berms can only be built in winter, when the water level is low.

There’s wide agreement about the need to slow erosion of the contaminated riverbanks. All agencies seem eager to know if it will help to place low rock berms 10 feet from the shoreline, to slow the waves of passing boats.

Disagreements center mainly on how extensive the berms should be, whether the project will harm wildlife and how the results of the experiment will be monitored.

Commission member Norm Campbell committed the Coeur d’Alene Tribe to helping iron out disagreements. He said the tribe wants “real progress on the ground.”

George Brabb of the Kootenai Environmental Alliance, another commissioner, agreed.

“We’ve studied and studied and studied this problem until we’re sick of it,” he said. “I think the general public would say, ‘Go out there and do your project and see what happens.”’