EPA settles with owner of Coeur and Galena Mines for violations

U.S. Silver - Idaho, owner and operator of the Coeur and Galena Mines and Mills in the Silver Valley, has settled with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for alleged Clean Water Act violations at its Panhandle facility.

The violations outlined in EPA's Consent Agreement and Final Order include exceeding discharge limits for copper and lead at outfalls which discharge to Lake Creek and the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River. The company also experienced an unpermitted discharge from near its settling pond to Lake Creek in March.

"Discharge permits set clear limits to protect water quality and habitat," said Jeff KenKnight, manager of EPA's Clean Water Act Compliance Unit in Seattle. "Companies need to meet their limits and eliminate unpermitted discharges, or risk serious penalties."

The EPA alleges that these events were violations of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, a federal law which protects water quality by minimizing or eliminating the affects of industrial and municipal discharges on U.S. waters.

Both the permit violations and the unpermitted discharge were self-reported. In addition to agreeing to pay a $75,000 penalty, the company took immediate corrective action to remedy the situation.