U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION 10

MAY 1999

The rest of 1999 promises to be another active and
productive year at Bunker Hill. This fact sheet
provides an overview of planned construction
activities for this spring and beyond. Work spans a
variety of projects, including the Central Impound-
ment Area (CIA) closure, hillsides planting, and
residential yard cleanup.

Yard Cleanups Proceed

Cleanup of residential soils continues to be a
priority at Bunker Hill. During the summer of
1999, the Upstream Mining Group estimates it
will clean up approximately 200 residential
yards and other gravel or soil areas such as
driveways and parking areas. In addition, a
number of commercial properties are scheduled
for cleanup. The group will focus on the com-
munity of Pinehurst in 1999 to minimize inter-
ference with the Milo Creek project underway
in Kellogg and Wardner. contact-, scottpeterson,

(208) 783-5781.

Milo Creek Project Continues

May 14,1999 was the second anniversary of
the 1997 flooding event that destroyed the old
Milo Creek containment system. Between
January and April 1999, the Milo Creek Perma-
nent Improvement Project focused on finalizing
the "Phase II" plans and specifications in prepa-
ration to advertise for bids. The Phase II design
covers the remainder of the Milo Creek project.
A contract is being awarded which will com-
plete the containment system from the Cordu-
roy Hill Structure outlet in Wardner downstream
to the Old Washington School site in Kellogg.
This contract covers work on all utilities, drain-
age, and street repaving. Local storm drainage
around the Washington School

structure will be improved so it no longer flows
into the old Milo Creek containment system. If
project funding permits, construction will
continue to the South Fork of the Coeur
d'Alene River. Bids were opened on May 4.
Construction is expected to begin in late May
1999.

Work on the Milo Creek containment system is
especially important as this winter's heavy
snow pack is threatening the communities of
Wardner and Kellogg. The Milo Creek basin
has a snow pack that is well over 150 percent
of normal. Both cities have declared emergen-
cies due to the imminent threat of flooding
from this melting snow pack. The U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers has been asked for Ad-
vance Measures Assistance to protect the
communities from the flood threat. The Corps
is constructing a temporary channel through
the lower portion of Wardner and Kellogg to
the Coeur d'Alene River, contact: cami

GRANDINETTI, (206) 553-8696.

Blood Lead Screening News

Each year, the Panhandle Health District goes
door to door in communities located within the
Bunker Hill 21-square mile Box, providing
blood lead screening services to children
between the ages of nine months and nine
years. This year, the screening will begin in
July, and results will be available in October.

CONTACT: JERRY COBB (208) 783-0707.

Hillsides Planting Update

This spring, cleanup crews plan to use helicop-
ters to spread lime over the rest of the Bunker
Hill hillsides (approximately 850


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BUNKER HILL MAY 1999

acres). Adding lime increases the alkalinity of
the soil, creating better conditions for plant
growth. Additional tree planting and seeding is
scheduled for this fall and into the year 2000.
Historically, the hillsides lost trees due to logging
and forest fires. Smelter emissions prevented
new trees from growing and thriving. New
trees and other vegetation will help reduce
erosion as well as enhance the natural beauty
of the area, contact: cami grandinetti, (206) 553-8696.

CIA Closure Status

The bid package for the closure of the 260-acre
Central Impoundment Area (CIA), the largest
waste impoundment area at Bunker Hill, is
temporarily postponed pending some minor
design and specifications changes. EPA plans to
amend the package and award the contract in
June. The CIA closure will be a two-year project
beginning with placement of clean materials this
year, followed by capping in the year 2000.

CONTACT: CAMI GRANDINETTI, (206)553 8696.

Plant and the water conveyance system from
the mine to the treatment plant, and examining
the possibility of in-mine sludge disposal. Up-
grades to the treatment plant are being evalu-
ated in light of the recently issued draft Total
Maximum Daily Load for dissolved cadmium,
lead and zinc in surface waters of the South Fork
Coeur d' Alene River. EPA is coordinating this
effort with the mine owner and the Idaho State
Division of Environmental Quality, contact:mary

KAY VOYTILLA, (206) 553-2712.

Union Pacific Railroad Update

In 1999, it is anticipated that the Union Pacific
Railroad will nearly complete its cleanup obliga-
tions under the 1995 Consent Decree for the
part of the right-of-way within the 21-square
mile Box. However, there may be a couple of
areas where contingency plans will be required,
and coordination will be needed with the "Rails
to Trails" project in other areas of the Coeur
d'Alene Basin, contact-, mike thomas, (208)373-0318.

EPA and Partners Investigate Acid Mine
Drainage

In July 1998, EPA initiated a work assignment
with CH2M Hill (Hill) to develop options for the
long-term management of acid mine drainage
from the Bunker Hill mine. The goal is to find
ways to enhance and upgrade the current
treatment system in order to decrease future
acid mine drainage impact on the environment.
The treatment system in place now is designed
so water flows from the old Bunker Hill mine
through underground pipes to be treated at the
Central Treatment Plant. From this point, the
water is discharged to Bunker Creek and flows
into the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River.
EPA and Hill are investigating in-mine options
for reducing the amount of acid mine drainage
being produced (e.g., sealing off the worst acid-
producing parts of the mine and diverting
surface water around the mine). They are also
evaluating upgrades of the current Central
Treatment

Five-Year Review Details

This year, EPA is conducting a Five-Year Review
of the populated areas at Bunker Hill to evalu-
ate the protectiveness of the chosen cleanup
remedies. EPA hopes to complete this review by
the end of 1999. The Five-Year Review is
mandated under the Superfund Program and is
the main tool for determining whether selected
remedies are protective of human health and
the environment. During this review, EPA seeks
community input and peer review. Any part of
the remedy not found sufficiently protective of
human health or the environment will be evalu-
ated for further action.

EPA will use previously gathered information,
literature searches, interviews, new sampling
events, and potentially a re-evaluation of por-
tions of the risk assessment to coordinate the
1999 Five-Year Review. Some sampling has
already occurred in yards, rights-of-way,

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and hillside areas as part of this review.
Currently, EPA is reviewing data gathered by
the State of Idaho for house dust, hillsides,
and rights-of-way. Union Pacific Railroad
right-of-way samples and residential data
provided by the Upstream Mining Group will
also be evaluated, once received. EPA and
the State are also developing sampling plans
for this summer for additional data to be
collected, contact:seansheldrake, (206) 553-1220.

Operation and Maintenance Activities

As required by Superfund, the State of Idaho
has agreed to take on responsibility for the
operation and maintenance (O&M) of several
major work elements at Bunker Hill. These
include operating and maintaining the rem-
edy for the industrial complex closure area,
the Smelterville Flats tailings removal project,
and the Central Impoundment Area when it
is completed. Typical activities associated
with O&M are cleaning out sediment basins,
repairing and revegetating areas where
erosion has occurred, and monitoring the
condition of the remedies. The State has
been working with EPA to identify the re-
quired O&M activities and associated costs
for some of these projects. Many of these
activities will be closely linked to work that is
routinely performed by the cities and
Shoshone County. In the coming months,
the State will meet with the cities and county
to work through resource and logistical
issues to identify how they can best work
together, contact: marykay voytilla, (206) 553-1272.

Please Call the PHD Before You Dig

The Panhandle Health District (PHD) in
Kellogg is available to assist people who
want to do construction projects involving
excavation or grading within the Bunker Hill
Box. Under the Institutional Controls Pro-
gram, by law, a permit is required before you
begin your project. Violations can be pros-
ecuted as a misdemeanor in the state of
Idaho. If you have questions, call the PHD at
(208) 783-0707.

BUNKER HILL MAY 1999

What is the Institutional Controls
Program (ICP)?

The Bunker Hill ICP is a locally enforced set of
regulations designed to ensure the integrity of
clean soil and other protective barriers placed
over contaminants left in place throughout the
Box. The Panhandle Health District (PHD)
adopted this program as part of its Environmen-
tal Health Code in February 1995. It consists of
permitting and inspection procedures, monitor-
ing, educational efforts, and records mainte-
nance. If you would like to view a video ex-
plaining the ICP in further detail, please contact
the PHD at (208) 783-0707.

Site History

The Bunker Hill Box spans 21 square miles in
the heart of the Silver Valley in northern Idaho.
More than 6,000 people live within the Bunker
Hill boundaries in the communities of Kellogg,
Smelterville, Wardner, Pinehurst, Page, Ross
Ranch, Montgomery Gulch and Elizabeth Park.

In 1983, Bunker Hill was added to the National
Priorities List (NPL), a list of the nation's most
hazardous waste sites. EPA has identified 17
private companies believed to be responsible
for site cleanup, some of whom are working in
partnership with EPA and the Idaho Division of
Environmental Quality (IDEQ) to support
cleanup.

Site cleanup began with early public property/
park cleanups in 1986 and yard cleanups in
1989. The smelter complex cleanup project
began in 1995.

Cleanup decisions are documented in two
Records of Decision (RODs). In 1991, the
Populated ROD was signed, covering residen-
tial and commercial yard cleanup. In 1992, the
Non-Populated ROD was signed, documenting
cleanup decisions for the rest of Bunker Hill.

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How to Get Further Information

For more information about Bunker Hill and access to all related public documents, you can visit
the following information repositories:

. Kellogg Public Library: 16 West Market, Kellogg, Idaho 83837
The Kellogg Public Library holds the entire administrative record -- other local libraries have
site information, but do not contain all site files).

. Pinehurst/Kingston Library: 107 Main Street, Pinehurst, Idaho 83850
. EPA Region 10 Records Center: 1200 6th Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98101
. EPA Toll Free number (1-800-424-4372)

Please visit or call (208-783-5781) the Superfund Project Office located at 1005 W. McKinley
Avenue in Kellogg for information, as well.

Please call Jerry Cobb, Panhandle Health District in Kellogg at (208) 783-0707, Marianne
Deppman, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator in Seattle, at 1-800-424-4372 or directly
at (206) 553-1237, or Debra Packard, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator in Seattle, at
1-800-424-4372 or directly at (206) 553-0247.

To ensure effective communication with everyone, additional services can be made available by calling
EPA's toll-free number at 1-800-424-4372.

Questions or Concerns?

Web Surfing for EPA Region 10: Check out our homepage at:
http://www.epa.gov/r10earth



BULK RATE
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
U.S. EPA
Permit No. G-35

United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

Region 10 (ECO-081)
1200 Sixth Avenue
Seattle WA 98101

EPA FACT SHEET
Bunker Hill
Kellogg, Idaho


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