Meredith Carroll – Jul 10, 2024
On Wednesday, July 17, the Citizens for a Clean Columbia (CCC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be co-hosting a community meeting in Northport to provide updates on investigative reports, sampling, and removal of contaminants in the upper Columbia River. The agenda includes addressing the “time-critical” removal actions centered on contaminants that are “an imminent danger to pregnant women and children.” Time is also allotted for the Washington Department of Ecology to discuss their work in Northport and representatives from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to present information on their air monitoring project. Time is also set aside for members and citizens to discuss community involvement planning.
“Citizens have never really been a part of a remedial investigation to represent local folks,” said Mindy Smith, a citizen of both Canada and the United States who has worked diligently with the CCC since its inception in the early 1990s. “We help translate the official documentation of the study to the public, and we inform the community.”
According to their website, the CCC is a grassroots volunteer organization focused on issues of the Upper Columbia River and Lake Roosevelt. The group’s stated purpose is to preserve thebeauty and safety of the river, protecting it from contamination from Canadian industry. According to the EPA, beginning in 1896 and continuing until 2006, the Columbia River was contaminated by Canadian lead and zinc smelter Teck Resources Limited, located 13 miles north of Northport. The EPA says heavy metal toxins such as arsenic, lead, and mercury have polluted the river and endangered human, fish, and wildlife health as well as the environment. In 2007, Teck Resources Limited entered into an agreement with the EPA to study the extent of the pollution and assess the risk to humans and the environment. According to their website, Teck Resources Limited has invested $170 million in the EPA’s study of the Upper Columbia River. Following the Remedial Investigation, a Feasibility Study will be implemented for cleanup options, according to the EPA.
“Knowledge is power,” said Smith. “You need to know where your water is coming from and the potential dangers. We are in a time when people need to get informed about what’s going on.”
The meeting is set to take place at Northport High School. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for an interactive open house followed by presentations at 6:00 p.m
