Welcome to The Dirt

A new collaborative group has formed to provide a series of up-to-date information and educational news about the current happenings within the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex Superfund Site (BHSS).  

The new group, who call themselves The Dirt, is comprised of local experts from multiple entities and agencies including the Basin Environmental Improvement Project Commission, Panhandle Health District, Shoshone County, Silver Valley Economic Development Committee, and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. 

The BHSS includes environmental cleanup and restoration work in areas contaminated by mining waste in the Coeur d’Alene River Watershed, Coeur d’Alene Lake, and the upper reaches of the Spokane River. The system is 166 river miles through northern Idaho and eastern Washington; the boundary includes about 1,500 square miles. It is one of the largest Superfund sites in the nation. 

Sharon Bosley, the executive director of the Basin Commission, was looking for ways to provide current news on the work being completed in the BHSS and began asking around to gauge the interest of the other groups.  

“Our goal is to promote community awareness of contamination issues, to provide tools for protecting public health, and to keep the community informed of current and future cleanup projects,” Bosley said. 

According to Bosley, similar efforts, including the “Our Gem” collaboration that details the health of Coeur d’Alene Lake, have been successful in providing locals with information. 

The BHSS has a complex history, which spans beyond just the 50 years of cleanup efforts that have taken place. The articles and information from the group will vary in topics that range from the current status of projects, historical information and stories, upcoming plans, and much more.  

Mary Rehnborg, the Institutional Controls Program Manage with the Panhandle Health District, is excited to be a group and to help dispel some of the inaccuracies about the BHSS she sees and hears daily.  

“The goal of The Dirt is to provide a platform where community members can find out more about past, present, and future cleanup activities,” Rehnborg said. “As both a resident and an employee of the cleanup, I see a lot of misinformation and confusion regarding cleanup activities being discussed on social media and out amongst community members. The goal of this publication is to provide straight forward facts about all things cleanup related.”  

The Dirt will publish twice a month in the Shoshone News-Press and Coeur d’Alene Press.  

For more information, contact Sharon Bosley with the Basin Environmental Improvement Project Commission at (208) 783-2528 or sharon.bosley@deq.idaho.gov.