In brief
Risk of sinkholes near mine called minimal
A controversial mine that would extract silver and copper from underneath the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area does not appear to increase the risk of above-ground sinkholes, a geotechnical report prepared for the U.S. Forest Service concluded.
Kootenai National Forest Supervisor Bob Castenada ordered the study after an elliptical-shaped sinkhole, about 100 feet long, developed above the workings of the Troy Mine. The mine is operated by Revett Minerals, the same firm that wants to develop the Rock Creek Mine in northwestern Montana by tunneling underneath the wilderness.
Tetra Tech of Helena, Mont., investigated the sinkhole that appeared in March, along with a similar sinkhole that developed in 2005. A report issued by the firm pointed to a pre-1993 mine as the cause of the sinkholes. According to the report, the previous mine operator, Asarco Inc., didn’t leave sufficient buffer zones between excavations and fault zones – fractures in rock formations caused by shifting in the earth’s surface.
The Rock Creek Mine’s permit requires a 450-foot buffer of earth between the surface and excavation beneath the wilderness area. The permit also restricts mining near fault zones and within a 1,000-foot radius of alpine lakes.
If the mine is properly designed, the risk of sinkholes occurring is minimal, Tetra Tech concluded.
– Becky Kramer
BOISE
Risch sets aside Aug. 25 as special session date
Gov. Jim Risch and legislative leaders have settled on Aug. 25, a Friday, as the date for a special session if he calls one this summer.
“The date has been set aside,” said Risch’s chief of staff, John Sandy. “There are various reasons for setting that aside, not the least of which is, you know, this time of the year lots of people are trying to make plans. In all fairness to everyone, he wanted to get a date so that people could plan around that.”
Risch still hasn’t reached agreement with legislators on a plan to shift $250 million in school operations funding from the property tax to an increased sales tax. But Sandy said, “It’s looking much more promising.”
Risch said Wednesday that he hopes to give up to a month’s notice if he calls a special session, to allow time for citizens to review the proposal and contact their legislators with their thoughts. But once a special session starts, Risch is planning for it to be a one-day deal. Picking a Friday reinforces that.
“People could always work through the weekend if they wanted to,” Sandy said. But, he said, “This has been debated and studied for over a year. … If there’s a special session called, the intent is to bring people to town and pass the legislation and that’s that.”
– Betsy Z. Russell
Hayden
Officers seek help in solving vandalisms
Kootenai County authorities are asking for the public’s help solving a string of vandalisms in the Hayden area.
The Sheriff’s Department said it received five reports of vandalism this week in which either rocks or possibly a baseball bat were used to break car windows or windows at area businesses.
Ziegler Building Center, R&L RV, Kootenai County Search and Rescue, the Subaru Stuff Shop and Coeur d’Alene Skeet and Trap Club were among the victims, the release said.
Anyone with information or who saw anything suspicious during the night near these businesses is asked to contact officers at (208) 446-1300.
– Taryn Brodwater