On Thursday, April 27th at approximately 5:30PM Region 10's Emergency Response Duty officer was contacted by Idaho Communications Center and informed of a mercury spill in Timberline High School located in Weippe Idaho. Weippe is a small rural community located in Clearwater County in North-central Idaho app 200 miles north of Boise. According to the Clearwater County Sheriff’s office several teenage boys were caught playing with and spilling mercury from one of the school’s classrooms. School staff were not able to completely clean up the material, and the responding Sheriff's department officials had concerns over remaining contamination and risks to the health of students and school staff. The school complex which contains an approximate 20 classroom high school and a 4 room junior high school was scheduled to be closed Friday and throughout the weekend. Based upon the reported situation and the lack of locally available technical assistance to assess the suspected contamination EPA dispatched an OSC and 4 START personnel with emergency response equipment including mercury vapor detection and air monitoring devices.
Assessment of Hg levels was completed on 5/1/06, except for completion of air samples in the Jr. High building for off-site analysis. Ventilation of the Jr. High building was completed and air samples were collected for laboratory analysis on 5/2/06. Approximately 8 cubic yards of lightly Hg contaminated debris were staged for later disposal behind a fenced area. Debris waste profile samples were taken for lab analysis. Screening and release of items previously removed from classroom A4 was completed. Preliminary lab analytical results for the Sr. High building air samples were received about 5 PM on 5/2/06. These preliminary results are not yet processed through the quality assurance process, but seem to clearly indicate that levels of mercury contamination in the breathing zone of the Sr. High building are within acceptable levels to advise reentry of students and staff to the building. Approximately 9 to 11 pounds of elemental mercury was packaged and transported to the Seattle area for disposal. OSC Barber and 2 START members demobilized from the site on 5/1/06 at about 3 PM. The other 2 START members demobilized at about 9 PM on 5/1/06, after collecting the Jr. High building air samples.
Lightly contaminated debris is tentatively scheduled to be picked up for disposal on 5/9/06. Results of air sampling in the Jr. High building are still pending.
Results of air sampling in the Jr. High building are still pending. All air sampling results will need to be communicated immediately to school management and other relevant personnel as they are available, and with the understanding that they are preliminary (non-QA'd) data. Final disposal of any waste and any required reports and followup communication will also be needed.
Reentry decisions by the school are pending. They are considering reentry to either or both buildings as soon as 5/3/06 or 5/4/06. Any followup recommendations for the school will be considered and communicated by OSC Barber.
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