Spokane River Metals Starr Road

Contaminants from historic mining practices in Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene Basin washed downstream and settled in soil and sediment along some Spokane River beaches.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted studies of the mining contaminants in the Coeur d’Alene Basin and began a wide-spread cleanup of the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Superfund Site. As part of the EPA study and studies Ecology conducted, nine beaches in Washington were cleaned up, including the Starr Road site.

Cleanup was completed in 2006. EPA in coordination with Ecology removed shoreline soils contaminated with lead, arsenic, zinc and cadmium. After contaminant removal, clean materials were placed on shoreline and upland areas. A pull-out parking area and footpath to the clean shoreline area were also created.

Ecology completed the first periodic review in 2022. The report is for all the Spokane River shoreline sites affected by mining contaminants. The purposes of the review are to evaluate site conditions about every five years when contaminants are capped and ensure the cleanup continues to protect human health and the environment.

The cleanups continue to protect human health and the environment from the capped contaminated sediments. However, contaminant concentrations have increased in some cases, and new contaminated sediments have been deposited on the caps. This likely means upstream sources are continuing to impact the river and could pose a risk to human health and the environment if they are not controlled.

We will continue monitoring to ensure that the sites continue to be safe for human health and the environment. A monitoring study evaluating sediments entering the site at the Washington-Idaho border would help assess the potential for recontamination.