EPA to Spend $359 Million at Superfund Site

Date: September 11, 2006

Source: News Room

The US EPA plans to spend $359 million on the second largest Superfund cleanup site in the country in Idaho's Silver Valley. Much has already been done at the Bunker Hill smelter and mine in Kellogg, Idaho. The EPA began cleaning the Bunker Hill site in 1983 and has spent more than $250 million on that cleanup so far. Three other sites have yet to be completed. They are the Constitution Mine, the Rex mine and mill, and the Golconda site. Some residents of Kellogg, Idaho would prefer that the EPA prioritize residential neighborhoods, raising concerns that children are primarily exposed to lead in lawns and inside of homes. The EPA, however, cites recreational use of the land around the mines as indicating the greatest potential threat to human health in the area.

On the Web:
epa.gov/region10/
www.silvervalleyaction.com/

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