Spokane River Metals Barker Road South

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 Barker Road South.

The Barker Road Bridge South site is located north of I-90 via exit 293 and lies immediately south and east of the Barker Road Bridge in Spokane Valley. 

The mining-related contaminants include arsenic, cadmium, lead, and zinc.

Ecology planned to build a fence around the Barker Road South site near the Centennial Trail. The fence would have prevented access to contaminated soil at the bottom of the ravine along the Spokane River bank in this area. 

During a public comment period held August 10 through September 9, 2009, local residents and river users expressed concerns about the fencing in the site. Concerns included river access, safety and questions about the proposed fence at the site. The original schedule for Barker Road South was anticipated to begin after the Barker Road North bridge construction was completed. The bridge was undergoing construction, and delays in the bridge project would complicate river access if Ecology’s project continued at the same time.

Ecology re-evaluated the proposed Barker Road South cleanup in 2013 and decided to install a sign warning users about the contamination.

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.