Sunset-Star Mine cleanup starts at old boom town

Sunset is one of the forgotten boom towns of Idaho’s Silver Valley. Its school, its general store and its largest employer, the Sunset-Star Silver Mine, faded into the forested landscape decades ago.

But the toxic legacy of early 20th century mining practices lingers at the old town site north of Wallace. Superfund cleanup work will begin this summer to remove tailings and waste rock from the Sunset-Star Mine, which continues to send lead and other heavy metals into a nearby creek.

Money for the cleanup comes from a trust established during Asarco Inc.’s 2009 bankruptcy settlement.

Over the next 30 to 40 years, the trust is expected to pay out more than $1 billion for Superfund work in the Coeur d’Alene basin, including the cleanup of about 200 old sites like the Sunset-Star Mine.

The environmental trust is among the largest of its kind in the nation, said Dan Silver, the trustee appointed by the bankruptcy court.

Originally funded with $436 million from Asarco, the trust has paid out $65 million for cleanup of old mine waste in the Coeur d’Alene River Basin since 2010. Because of investment gains, the trust’s current value is $497 million/Becky Kramer, SR. More here (subscription required).