The Idaho Lakeview Mine and Mill is an inactive silver and lead mine located near Lakeview, Bonner County, Idaho. The primary contaminants of concern are arsenic and lead, and potential human health and environmental impacts from the historic mine waste present at the site include public health and safety risks due to elevated contaminant concentratioins in soil and surface water, and increased sediment load to surface water. The average concentrations of arsenic and lead at the two areas to be addressed by the removal action (South West Rock Dump and Mill) are 4,234 and 1,654 mg/kg, and 8,560 and 3,340 mg/kg, respectively. Chloride Gulch Creek is in direct contact with the South West Rock Dump. The creek is a tributary of Gold Creek, which harbors the second most important adfluvial bull trout spawning population in the Lake Pend Oreille watershed. The site is a mixed-ownership hardrock mine site, located partially on private and partially on National Forest System lands located within the boundaries of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. The USFS and EPA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding, and the USFS through an Interagency Agreement is funding EPA for costs associated with cleanup of mine waste contaminated materials located on public land. Mine waste contaminated material will be excavated and consolidated beneath a porotective barrier at a nearby USFS repository.
The removal action was initiated by EPA on 6 September 2005. Mobilization of personnel and equipment, as well as all ancilliary site infrastructure activities are complete. Cleanup activities at the South West Rock Dump, Chloride Gulch Creek, and the existing waste repository were initiated on 12 September.
Continue excavation of mine waste contaminated material from the South West Rock Dump, Mill Waste area, and Chloride Gulch Creek, and consolidation of the excavated materials at the nearby mine waste repository. Reconstruction of Chloride Gulch Creek channel where contaminated sediments were excavated. Grading, revegetation and erosion protection of all disturbed areas.
Continued implementation of response action.
An amendment to the original action memorandum was prepared to off-set consequential costs associated with (1) cleanup of greater than estimated quantities of mine waste contaminated material located on both public and private lands and (2) escalating diesel and gasoline fuel costs.
|
