Why is a new plan in the works for the Upper Basin?

There’s been a lot of talk recently about a new plan for cleanup in the Basin. People want to know how the plan will affect them and their families and when they can get involved in the decision-making process. This column provides information on the plan in plain language and answers various questions. Q. Why is EPA designing a new cleanup plan for the Upper Basin? The last cleanup plan was issued in 2002, and new information has become available since then. The goal of the new plan is to protect human health and the environment in the following two major ways: • Ensure water quality standards are met. These standards are designed to protect the water bodies’ beneficial uses, such as drinking water, aquatic life support, contact recreation (swimming), and agriculture. • Prevent recontamination of clean soil and destruction of existing soil and gravel barriers. Controlling erosion from big rain and local flood events is the key here. Although immediate results are unlikely, the next generation can look forward to cleaner areas in which to live and play. As stated in this Native American proverb, “We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors; we borrow it from our Children.” Q. What is the Focused Feasibility Study (FFS) and where did the information in it come from? The draft FFS is a report compiled by EPA outlining various options for cleaning up more mining-related contamination in the Upper Coeur d’Alene Basin. The FFS is a key part of the Record of Decision (ROD) Amendment development. The report is based on input EPA received during the past year at several meetings and public workshops with Basin stakeholders including Idaho DEQ, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, local governments, the Coeur d’Alene Basin Natural Resource Trustees, and other members of the Basin Environmental Improvement Project Commission (BEIPC). It was made available to the public in February 2010. It’s a large four-volume document, but the meat of the information is contained in the first volume. Q. What is the review process for the plan and when can I get involved? Now is the time to get involved! EPA will soon publish a Proposed Plan specifying the agency’s preferred cleanup method from among those outlined in the FFS. The public will be invited to comment on the proposed plan and a public meeting will be held. After the public comment period ends, EPA will review all comments, prepare a response to each, and modify the Proposed Plan as appropriate. EPA’s final decision on an Upper Basin cleanup plan will be issued in a Record of Decision (ROD) Amendment. EPA’s Anne Dailey and Bill Adams would be happy to discuss the process further and answer questions. Q. What is the difference between the FFS, Proposed Plan, ROD Amendment, and the Five Year Review? Do they all tie together? The FFS identifies and compares alternatives for the Upper Basin cleanup. The Proposed Plan presents EPA’s preferred cleanup option for public review and comment. The ROD Amendment will finalize the cleanup decision and set the stage for start of the next cleanup effort. Five Year Reviews are conducted in five-year intervals at Superfund sites where contamination remains in place. Think of these reviews as report cards on EPA decisions and actions. They help ensure the cleanup continues to protect people’s health and environment. Q. Where can I get more information about the Upper Basin cleanup plan? • Check out EPA’s ROD Amendment web page at http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/sites/bh+rod+amendment. • Contact Anne Dailey at dailey.anne@epa.gov or 800-424-4372, x2110, or Bill Adams at adams.bill@epa.gov or 800-424-4372, x2806. TTY users call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339 and give Anne Dailey’s or Bill Adams’ phone number. I love your questions!