Bunker Hill Superfund Site turns 50

KELLOGG — A half-century of progress in cleaning up environmental contamination was celebrated Wednesday at a ceremony commemorating 50 years of work within the Bunker Hill Superfund Site.

Hosted by the EPA and Basin Commission, the event at Noah's Loft recounted the multi-agency partnership's accomplishments since a 1973 baghouse fire sparked the remediation effort by sickening local children with lead poisoning.

In the 50 years since that time, groups like Panhandle Health, EPA, and the Basin Commission, have partnered with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, and many others to complete work in the region.

The work included remediating thousands of lawns, cleaning up old abandoned mine sites, paving more than 100 miles of residential roads throughout the entire Silver Valley, and rehabilitating the surrounding hillsides and waterways which restored wildlife and fish habitats. 

In 1974, after testing 175 children living within a mile of the smelter, 173 were found to have blood-lead levels of 40 micrograms per deciliter or greater, and the average was 67.4. 

Fifty years later, Panhandle Health District reports that the average is 2 micrograms per deciliter.

“We’ve made a lot of progress and blood-lead levels are going down,” PHD’s Mary Rehnborg said, “but the problem is ongoing.” 

The undertaking united federal and state agencies with the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, whose representative Ernie Stensgar spoke of his people's ancestral ties to the polluted land while lauding their role in the collaborative cleanup effort.

Jacob Garringer, an aide to Idaho Gov. Brad Little, read a statement from the governor before the speakers took the stage. 

“To all who have contributed to the Coeur d’Alene Basin cleanup over the past 50 years and to all who continue this work today, thank you. The state of Idaho’s Success comes from the leadership and collaboration of our many partners. Your efforts have meaningfully improved the health of generations of Idahoans, as well as the environment and economy of our great state.” 

IDEQ Director Jess Byrne credited sustained local engagement as key, saying "I'm 100% convinced it's because of the local involvement" that the project proved so successful compared to others.

Retired EPA lawyer Ed Kowalski recounted legal battles with mining firms to compel their cleanup participation, initially operating under a "patchwork quilt" of authorities before pivotal environmental acts solidified the agency's powers.

As the process intensified amid economic fears, Kowlaski said community leaders like Duane Little, Jerry Cobb, and the late Ron Garitone bridged divides. "Even though the EPA has had significant federal involvement, the work on the ground is being done by the people who are local," Kowalski said. "That's just tremendous."