The massive cleanup of a century's worth of mining pollution in Idaho's Silver Valley would cost $635 million and take up to 30 years under a final plan approved by the federal government.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday released the interim Record of Decision Amendment, which details its proposal to clean up arsenic, lead and other heavy metals pollutants in the valley, which is located 50 miles east of Spokane.
The EPA has already received written concurrence from the state of Idaho and the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, the other main players in efforts to clean up the Upper Basin of the Coeur d'Alene River.
The agreement follows disputes over the scope of the cleanup work, which in a 2010 proposal called for spending $1.3 billion over a time frame of some 50 years.
Final decision in Silver Valley cleanup
POSTED: 3:53 PM Aug 28 2012
Text Size:
-
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Comments
You share in the NBC Montana.com community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" link if a comment violates these standards. The views expressed are not those of NBCMontana.com, NBCMontana or its affiliated companies. This is a community moderated forum. (Please note the 'Like' and 'Report' buttons.) By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.
blog comments powered by Disqus









