Cominco To Reopen Pend Oreille Mine

Cominco American has the green light to reopen the historic Pend Oreille zinc and lead mine.

In a board meeting Thursday, Cominco Ltd.’s board of directors approved the $70 million project.

Cominco American in Spokane is a subsidiary of the Canadian company.

Construction will begin next month, with a projected opening in 2002.

Company officials expect the mine will provide about 170 jobs during its 10-year life.

The mine near Metaline Falls, Wash., will provide a new supply of concentrates for Cominco’s smelter in Trail, British Columbia. A zinclead mine that Cominco operates in Kimberley, British Columbia, is scheduled to close in two years.

“There’s a lot of exciting stuff happening,” said David Godlewski, Cominco American’s environmental manager. “We’re really trying our best to ensure that the mine has a minimum impact on the environment.”

Cominco American has one seat on a community committee to prepare for the mine’s opening. The committee has hired an economic planner to help ease the “boom-bust” cycle that often accompanies mine openings and closures.

The company has also met with environmental groups to discuss concerns about a mixing zone in the Pend Oreille River.

Part of the mine lies below the river, which means the mine has to be pumped to remain dry.

The mine has been discharging the water into the river under an old permit. Reopening the mine requires a new discharge permit, because the amount of water and metals released into the river will increase, said Keith Stoffel, project coordinator for the state Department of Ecology.

Ecology officials have proposed a mixing zone in the river, which would allow Cominco to exceed levels for some contaminants at the point the water is discharged. Environmentalists would like to see other alternatives.

The Pend Oreille Mine has been closed since 1977. It was last operated by the Bunker Hill Mining Co.