Responding to Citizen Questions about the Bunker Hill Superfund Site

February 2011: How Agencies Work Together When Disaster Strikes Flooding of the Coeur d’Alene River system is common and road closures are an ordinary consequence of high-water events. However, State Highway 3 (SH-3), a major commuter route, had to be closed in the middle of freezing holiday weather due to damage caused by a failed culvert. Q: Did “Superfund” stifle emergency response to the SH-3 culvert repair at Rose Lake? Superfund did not stifle the response to repair the SH-3 Rose Lake culvert. A communication network has been established to make responses quick and well-coordinated. The Rose Lake area in Kootenai County is within the boundary of Idaho’s Institutional Controls Program (ICP) rules for contaminated soil handling. The ICP rules give a way to safely handle and dispose of lead-contaminated soil. The ICP program is run through the Panhandle Health District (PHD) in Kellogg. During five-degree December weather, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) responded to a report of a failed culvert and damaged roadway near Rose Lake. Bill Kauffman, ITD Maintenance Foreman, knew that special handling of potentially lead-contaminated soil would be needed. A communication network sparked between agencies and contractors. Sandi Lockhart and Mike Dancer of PHD were onsite daily to assist ITD with handling and securing contaminated soils. Terry Harwood represented DEQ and arranged for the East Mission Flats Repository to be opened for the emergency. This allowed ITD excavation contractor, Peck and Peck Excavating from Post Falls, to begin road repair. Local repository manager Kevin Yrjana from Northwind’s Big Creek office kept the repository open from December 30 until road repair was complete. Q. Were the soils contaminated at the State Highway 3 culvert? Yes. Gravel and soil around the collapsed culvert tested from 2,300 parts-per-million (ppm) to over 7,000 ppm for lead. By comparison, the yard cleanup threshold is 1,000 ppm for lead, according to the 2002 ROD which guides the human health remedy. Over 2,300 cubic yards of material were removed for culvert repair and taken to the nearest soil repository at East Mission Flats. In emergency cases like this, it’s a relief to responders that a controlled disposal site is located nearby which can be opened in any weather condition to safely contain large amounts of soil. Keep the pages turning until March when I uncover more answers for concerned people in the Lower Basin. In the meantime, drop me a line!