Community input sought for potential waste sites
The Coeur d'Alene River as it flows through the area known as the Lower Basin, or the stretch of area along the river between Enaville and Harrison. The Coeur d'Alene Work Trust is looking for community input on potential waste consolidation sites for future projects in this area.
Courtesy photo
The Coeur d’Alene Work Trust is looking for community input regarding future sites for waste consolidation areas (WCA).
WCAs are places where contaminated materials from nearby cleanup sites are stored.
The CDA Work Trust is in the home stretch of building a new WCA in the Burke-area of Canyon Creek, but the input they are looking for is in the Lower Basin area of the Coeur d’Alene Basin.
That particular stretch is from Enaville and follows along the Coeur d’Alene River all the way to Harrison.
Several projects are scheduled to happen in those areas over the next few years which will likely require several different WCAs to safely consolidate and store the waste.
It is the EPA’s goal is to have one or more Lower Basin WCAs ready by 2024, which will be placed close to cleanup projects, to reduce cost and roadway congestion.
WCA sites must fit into several criteria, criteria that was developed in 2009 with these goals in mind.
Impacts to wetlands, surface water, fish and wildlife, on the floodplain, proximity to faults and landslide areas, for people living or working nearby (residences and schools along truck haul routes).
Impacts to businesses along truck haul routes, trucking costs, potential for economic redevelopment once repository construction is complete, and storage capacity.
Repositories and waste consolidation areas reduce health risks from metals like lead and arsenic.
When WCAs are full, they are capped with clean material and are engineered and managed to contain the contamination safely over time.
“Siting WCAs can be a complicated task. In addition to local values, there is also much to consider from a technical standpoint,” said the EPA in a recent press release. “EPA will give full consideration to community input when siting these WCAs. However, it may not be possible to meet all community criteria due to technical criteria, property availability, and other limitations.”
If you have a suggestion or a concern please contact Debra Sherbina with EPA Community Involvement, at sherbina.debra@epa.gov, by Sept. 30.