Superfund Straight Talk - December 2012
Superfund Straight Talk
Answering Citizens’ Questions about the Coeur d’Alene River Basin Cleanup
December, 2012
Q: What’s the good news?
Blood lead levels in children between Mullan and east of Harrison remain generally low. Free, summertime blood lead testing events provided by the Kellogg Panhandle Health District (PHD) show that childrens blood lead levels continue to be low. This means that yard soil replacement, community health awareness, and the ICP rules (to keep clean areas clean during construction activities) are all working together to make a big difference! PHD continues free, annual screening for children living in the CDA River Basin between Mullan and east of Harrison.
Coeur d’Alene Basin Blood Lead Levels. Kellogg Panhandle Health District. 2012.
The majority of properties are now cleaned up. From Mullan to the Black Lake area, about 6,500 properties have been remediated. Sampling efforts continue to focus in the Lower Basin.
However, some places such as around boat launches and beaches along the chain lakes and Coeur d’Alene River have levels of lead that are five times higher than the amount that triggers yard cleanup! In all these areas, be attentive to cleanliness, particularly for toddlers who put everything in their mouths. Play in the grass, wash all recreation equipment before heading home, ride bikes on the paved trail, always wash up before meals, don’t drink or use surface water for cooking water, and avoid bringing home dust and dirt. Also, take note of dirt that won’t grow grass or streams that have orange-stained rocks.
Another piece of the good news is that industry has made many technological advancements over the last 100 years so that environmental problems of the past are not being re-created today.
Public drinking water is safe. Public drinking water supplies (serving hotels, restaurants, and municipalities) are meeting EPA and state standards for lead, cadmium, and arsenic. A few private wells tested by the Superfund program exceeded drinking water standards and received tap water filters. See the March 2012 SST column for more about this topic.
Air quality has greatly improved. DEQ measured the amount of lead in the air until 2001. By 1982 no large industrial sources contributed lead concentrations and by 2001 lead concentrations had met state and federal standards for over a decade. Today, many technological advancements are available for new facilities.
DEQ Regional Air Quality Division. 2001.
Public gravel roads are being cleaned up. In addition to the property cleanup, DEQ sampled most of the unpaved public roads in 2011 and 2012 in the CDA River Basin. Public roads can spread contamination by storm water runoff, tire tracking, or dust. DEQ resurfaced and improved drainage on five gravel roads in 2012. In 2013, DEQ will resume this one-time effort with local jurisdictions on contaminated unpaved public roads.