Understanding the need for a Silver Valley repository

Hello, my name is Tina Elayer, and I work for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Part of my job is to make sure the public gets timely information about the Bunker Hill Superfund site in the Coeur d’Alene Basin of Northern Idaho. This Superfund project is all about protecting people’s health and the environment. Cleanup started more than 20 years ago as a result of a public health crisis—hundreds of children and families had high blood lead levels. The Superfund listing was due to the high levels of heavy metals released into the environment by past mining and smelting operations. I’m glad to report those levels have come down a lot because of the cleanup. But more work needs to be done, and it’s not always easy. I have been in this position for a year now and am learning new things all the time about this site and how it affects the people who live here. This monthly column will serve two purposes. First, I will respond to questions from the public about Superfund issues. I’ve heard from people who are affected by the Basin Property Remediation Program (BPRP) and may like to know more about the process; I know that many people are interested in the siting and development of waste soil repositories for the human health and environmental resource cleanups, including wastes generated by the Institutional Controls Program (ICP). In addition, we are moving into the environmental resource cleanup program and the State and Coeur d’Alene Tribe are implementing the CDA Lake Management Plan. Readers will have plenty of opportunities to ask questions about any of these items and more, and this column will strive to answer them. Secondly, DEQ and EPA want you to know the facts. It is important that the involved governments, agencies, various interest groups and individuals provide the most accurate information possible; when I get a question on the Bunker Hill Superfund cleanup, I will research the subject and provide an answer. This may take a week or perhaps more, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t see a rapid response. So whether you are new to the valley or have lived here a long time, feel free to drop me a line with your questions. I’ll try to get answers for all of the questions I receive; however, if I can’t get an answer for you, I will say so in the column. Send questions to tina.elayer@deq.idaho.gov or Tina Elayer, Idaho DEQ, 1005 West McKinley, Kellogg, ID 83837. To get us started, here is a question that has been kicked around the valley for a few years now. Why are the agencies placing a repository at East Mission Flats? At first take, it is true that East Mission Flats does not look like a good place to put a repository. It floods. It’s near a historic landmark in a culturally significant area. Wetlands are nearby. Clean ground water is under the site. Because DEQ and EPA staff share these concerns and have a mandate to protect human health and the environment, they took great care in selecting this site. Technical studies showed that this site could be engineered to withstand floods, protect ground water, and protect nearby wetlands. DEQ and EPA coordinated with the Tribe and the State Historic Preservation Office to ensure sensitivity about cultural resources. They also changed the planned height of the repository so it won’t be easily seen from the Mission. To keep doing the cleanup, the agencies need repositories—places to store the contamination away from people. Part of the cleanup involves disposing of contaminated materials, mostly from cleanup of residents’ yards and community areas. Repositories are designed and managed to contain those contaminated materials safely, which reduces exposures for people and animals. DEQ and EPA staff searched for other sites for the repository, but East Mission Flats was found to be the most viable location in the lower Basin.