Bunker Hill Superfund Site Q & A: Part 4

Q: What is planned for remediation of public roads with contaminated surfaces and shoulders? A: EPA and DEQ have been working on a program to address potentially contaminated public road and street surfaces and shoulders. The proposed program will be discussed with the local public road jurisdictions during meetings in late August. In the meantime, DEQ’s contractor TerraGraphics is sampling gravel and dirt public roads starting in the Upper Basin and working toward Harrison. Sampling and testing of surface materials will determine where contaminated roads and/or streets exist. The program will not include roads managed by the Forest Service, BLM, or federal and state routes. Gravel and dirt road sampling started the week of July 18 so be on the lookout for crews. Thanks for slowing down for them and the flaggers. Q: What is all the activity at the Page Repository? A: DEQ is composting wood waste to make re-vegetation successful at the repository. The portion of the repository which no longer accepts soil waste offers a 14-acre flat surface for the composting project. Shoshone County has been contracted by DEQ to truck its large woody and yard wastes previously destined for land fills to the Page Repository. DEQ is also collecting wood wastes generated by the yard cleanup program, highway projects, fire mitigation projects, and Waters Transfer Stations. Later this summer, DEQ will select a contractor to manage ICP waste in the Box. The contractor will also keep a stockpile area open for ICP waste during winter months. Community Time: I have really enjoyed outreach this summer. There are plenty of community events happening with summer celebrations. I recently attended the Wallace Mining Museum’s ribbon cutting for the addition of the Sunshine Mine diorama. This is a great home for such a treasure! I am proud to be a part of a community that works together on important interests that define the meaning of the community. In addition to the Sunshine diorama I also saw a diorama of the Bunker Hill mine at the Staff House Museum in Kellogg. I didn’t know lighted boxes containing layers of mylar drawings were utilized for daily business operation and planning. How amazing and ingenious. Thank you, Bob Dunsmore for your gracious and informative tour of the Staff House Museum! We hope to see you at the North Idaho Fair and Rodeo in August! EPA, DEQ, Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the Basin Commission are partnering again to provide fun interactive education about the CDA Basin. Come and see us inside Building #1 between Wednesday August 24 and Sunday August 28! Write up your questions to get answers posted in the Superfund Straight Talk.