Lead Testing To Continue In Cda River Basin Epa Will Schedule Cleanup If High Levels Found In Dirt, Water
Hoping to protect people at special risk of illness from mining-related metals contamination, the Environmental Protection Agency will continue testing yards and drinking water in Coeur d’Alene River Basin homes this spring.
EPA will take samples for dirt and water at homes where there are pregnant women or children ages 7 or younger; that use a private well; or where licensed day care is provided.
People who would like their homes tested should contact Sean Sheldrake by April 16. He can be reached toll-free at (800) 424-4372.
People who don’t know if their yard and/or water have been tested should call to find out, said Sheldrake, an EPA project manager.
The voluntary program is being offered to people living west of Pinehurst in the flood plain of the Coeur d’Alene River, including residents of Harrison and Cataldo; east of Elizabeth Park, including residents of Osburn, Wallace, Silverton and Mullan; and residences near the tributaries of the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River near historic mining operations, such as waste rock piles, mines and mills.
Not included are homes in Kellogg, Smelterville and other communities within the 21-square-mile “box” that surrounds the former Bunker Hill smelter site. Residential yards there are being tested and cleaned up as part of Superfund cleanup, Sheldrake said Tuesday.
Those who aren’t sure if they are within the Superfund site can call 783-5781 in Kellogg to find out.
If high levels of lead are found in yards, EPA can schedule cleanup there, he said. People with magnesium or cadmium in their drinking water will be hooked up to a municipal water supply or, if they are in rural areas, get water filters as a temporary solution, Sheldrake said.
“We’d like to be finished sampling by the end of spring, so we can get the results and get yards cleaned up this summer,” he said.
Some 900 houses outside the Superfund “box” have been sampled. One hundred of those got a comprehensive testing last year, meaning that indoor dust and paint were sampled as well as yard dirt and well water. EPA will decide by early summer whether more comprehensive tests are needed as part of its basinwide investigation of the impact of mining pollution, Sheldrake said.
This sidebar appeared with the story: FASTFACTS How to sign up People who would like their homes tested for mining-related metals contamination should contact Sean Sheldrake by April 16. He can be reached toll-free at (800) 424-4372.