Pend Oreille Mine Historic Debris Field

The debris field contains items related to Pend Oreille Mine operations that were disposed, including:

• Metal drums
• Vehicle body and frame parts
• Machine parts
• Cables and hoses
• Sheet metal
• Scrap wood

Contamination

As part of the mine closure process, this area is being cleaned up. Waste in the area was assessed in 2006 and 2022. These assessments found the following contaminants in soil:

• Cyanide
• Methyl tertiary butyl ether
• Petroleum
• Pesticides
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
• Trichloroethene (TCE)
• Volatile organic compounds

Of these, TCE was the only one found at levels requiring cleanup.

Creating a cleanup plan

Teck hired a consultant to create a plan to gather further information about contaminants and develop cleanup options in 2023, which Ecology approved. Under this plan, Teck will:

• Assess the extent of TCE and metals in soil
• Better define the full extent of debris
• Sample for TCE and metals in water seeping from a hillside next to the debris field 
  and draining down a channel
• Determine what plants or animals might be harmed by contaminants at the site (a terrestrial ecological evaluation)
• Assess the stability of the nearby hillside and evaluate risks to workers during cleanup

Following these activities, Teck will submit a report to Ecology summarizing the findings and presenting options for cleaning up the debris field.

The Pend Oreille Mine, located in northeast Washington approximately two miles north of Metaline Falls, began underground mining for lead and zinc in 1952. The mine operated intermittently and was closed for decades before Teck Washington Inc. reopened it in 2004.

The mine stopped operating in 2019. In April 2021, Teck announced a transition from care and maintenance status to closure. The formal closure of the Pend Oreille Mine requires close work between us and Teck to ensure all regulatory requirements are met, and the community is informed of the process. Learn more about the closure.

This site is in our Voluntary Cleanup Program, which provides technical help to owners of contaminated sites.

Voluntary Cleanup Program customers pay fees to cover our costs for technical help and reviewing cleanup reports. Sites in this program must meet the same cleanup standards as sites Ecology manages under legal orders.