For information on 2019 soil evaluations and 2020 removal of contaminated soil on properties located within Northport town limits see the Northport Properties page.
The Le Roi Smelter property is approximately 30 acres in size, and is located at the northeast end of the city of Northport. Northport is approximately 340 acres in size (excluding the smelter property) and is located along the east bank of Lake Roosevelt on the upper Columbia River approximately 7 miles south of the U.S. – Canadian border and 35 miles north of Colville, Washington. Northport has a population of approximately 312. The Surrounding area is sparsely populated to the north, east, and south.
The Smelter operated off and on between 1896 and 1921. The facility smelted copper, gold, lead and silver ores from northeastern Washington and British Columbia. Ores were heat roasted and processed in a furnace that produced iron and slag waste. Gold and copper concentrate was shipped off site for further processing. Smelting operations ceased in 1921 and the majority of site structures were demolished by 1952. A sawmill was operated in the western portion of the site from 1952 to 2001. Several buildings and shops from the sawmill operation are currently present on site.
The Smelter property is accessed from Northport-Waneta Road via State Highway 25 which becomes Center Avenue within the city proper. The site is bordered by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) to the north, Northport-Waneta Road to the Southeast and Highway 25 to the west. The former Smelter operations area occupies approximately two-thirds of the site and a former lumber mill occupies the remaining portion. A city park leased from BNSF railroad is located approximately 50 feet north of the site situated between the railroad tracks and the Columbia river. Smelter Hill and Sliver Crown Mountain are located east and southeast of the site, respectively, and commercial and residential properties are located west of Highway 25.
