COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Summertime recreation is one of the best parts of living in our area. Swimming, boating, camping and other outdoor activities are great ways to make lifelong memories with your friends and family. While our region looks like a pristine, beautiful place to recreate, some areas are impacted by the historical mining activities that occurred in the Coeur d’Alene basin.
North Idaho is home to one of the largest lead-contaminated superfund sites in the nation, known as the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex Superfund Site which was listed on the National Priorities List in 1983.
Stretching from the Idaho/Montana border, the site includes the Silver Valley region, the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River and many of its side tributaries, the main Coeur d’Alene River, all the chain lakes in the Lower Coeur d’Alene River Basin, Lake Coeur d’Alene and the Spokane River. Historic mining, milling and smelting activities caused the spread of heavy metal mining-related contamination throughout approximately 1,500 square miles downstream to the confluence of the Spokane River into the Columbia River.
To date, over 7,000 properties have been cleaned up to relocate and cap these contaminated soils in the Silver Valley and remediation work is ongoing. Areas along waterbodies and in floodplains are especially difficult to address due to the extent and depth of the contamination. While heavy metal exposure (e.g., Pb, As, Cd, Zn, etc.) remains an issue, there are certain steps you can take to protect you and your family.
To read more from our content partner, the Coeur d'Alene Press, click this link for the full story.
