Upper Columbia River Meeting Reveals Progress Made
Meredith Carroll – Jul 31, 2024
Citizens for a Clean Columbia (CCC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted a community meeting at Northport High School on July 17. Representatives from the EPA and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Nation presented updates on an ongoing investigation regarding contamination of the Upper Columbia River.
According to the EPA, the contamination is the result of long-term arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium pollution in the upper Columbia River by Canadian lead and zinc smelter, Teck Resources, Limited, located 13 miles north of Northport. Teck has been a voluntary participant in the cleanup action since 2007, working with the EPA to rectify the damage it has done to human, fish, other wildlife, and environmental health. s. The meeting drew close to 100 attendees, packed inside a classroom meant for 30 students. Among the concerned citizens present were the mayors of Northport and Kettle Falls, two of the Stevens County Commissioners, one of the Ferry County Commissioners, and the Environmental Health Director at the Northeast Tri County Health District.
Mindy Smith with the CCC opened the meeting by stating that pollution originated in the 1800s takes time to amend. Additionally, in reference to the hot topic at hand, Smith said, “the Columbia Basin is one ecosystem. We do not give in to political divisiveness.”
The first speaker, Monica Tonel with the EPA, addressed time critical removal actions taken since 2004. The cleanup includes residential sampling of contaminants and removal of contaminated soil. Currently, the EPA is conducting even more cleanup covered under limited Superfund Tax Funds. This money, established by Congress, allows the EPA to clean up contaminated sites.
Next, Robert Tan with the EPA provided an overview on the 1,000-page Human Health Risk Assessment. This included a risk evaluation of residents, outdoor workers, recreational visitors, and tribal populations. There is currently a fish advisory in the Upper Columbia River and Lake Roosevelt area. For example, the fish advisory recommends women and children refrain from consuming more than two servings per month of either largescale suckerfish or largemouth bass due to the amount of toxins found in these fish as a result of the contamination. Eating more than the suggested amount can result in sickness and even cancer. A detailed report of the fish advisory is available on the Washington State Department of Health website, www.doh.wa.gov/fish. Tan also provided an update on taking samples for contamination, stating that, to date, 43 beaches and 588 residential properties have been sampled.
“The EPA is in the remedial investigation process,” Tan said. “The process is to find areas with the highest contamination and address them.”
The third speaker, Bonnie Arthur with the EPA, provided an update on the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study. The remedial aspect has taken place since 2006, and, after a very long process, will soon be completed. The Feasibility Study is next and will include finding methods of cleaning up the contaminated areas. “The Baseline Level Ecological Risk Assessment (BERA) is a site-specific evaluation of risks posed to ecological receptors at a site,” Arthur said. The BERA report is 11,000 pages.
Next, Yvette Joseph and Whitney Fraser with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Nation talked about air monitoring for the Upper Columbia River community, which was made possible by a grant from the EPA and a partnership with the CCC and Spokane Tribes. Funds were approved in 2021 for up to 52 monitors to measure particulate matter (PM). PM is airborne contaminants which can be inhaled and can often cross through membranes and enter the bloodstream. The air monitors, called PurpleAir, can be used outdoors and the data can be uploaded to the PurpleAir website. Erin Andersen with the EPA followed up with a presentation on Waterfront Work, their project to clean up black sand in Northport and LeRoi. Black sand, Anderson said, is contaminated with cadmium, zinc, and lead and is caused by the Teck smelter pollution. To date, 9,000 tons of black sand have been removed. The cleanup is anticipated to continue through 2025.
“We can reuse most of the excavated material,” said Andersen. “Materials that are not reused are stockpiled and disposed of appropriately.” The sand from the Seasonal Beach in Northport was polluted enough that it was deemed dangerous waste according to Washington State standards. 13,000 tons were sent to the Stevens County Landfill.
Andersen reassured the audience that all waste materials sent to the landfills are processed so that they are not toxic by the time the landfill receives them. Additionally, the Stevens County Landfills have protocols in place to ensure that materials do not seep into the water tables.
More information on the cleanup of the Upper Columbia River is available on the CCC website, and on the EPA website, www/epa.gov/columbiariver/upper-columbia-river-study-area.