The following is a list of work completed by the Water Resources Ground Water Program since its inception in fiscal year (FY) 2002. Work has been funded through American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA, two sites), responsible parties (6 sites), EPA’s LUST TRUST Program (8 sites), voluntary cleanups by property owners (9 sites), Targeted Brownfields Assessments by EPA (2 sites) and Superfund Technical Assessment & Response Team Contracts (START) by EPA (1 Site).
Last Update: 12/10/2021.
The following is a list of sites that the Tribe has worked on in FY 2021
Blue North Mill Site, 283 Woodland Road, Kamiah, ID –
- The property is approximately 114-acres in size. Hazardous substances were found in buildings and areas near buildings throughout the site.
- January 2021: Removed approximately ten cubic yards of asbestos-containing material from an office building (Building 1) at the site, in order to begin remodeling the building.
- December 2020: Gave guidance to the Office of Executive Direction regarding the implementation of Institutional Controls at the site, including fencing around debris piles and restrictions on soil disturbance on the north side of Building 6A and along all four walls of Buildings 15 A and B, due to surface soil samples detecting lead above EPA Regional Screening levels for industrial properties.
- August – September 2021: Conducted Phase II surface soil and subsurface investigation. This included:
- Subsurface soil sampling in Log Yard and Boiler Ash Stockpile footprint.
- Located test pits and test pit excavation.
- Performed two slug tests on wells.
- Drilled two boreholes and installed monitoring wells.
- Sampled groundwater in four wells.
- Ongoing: Coordinating with Tribal Leadership, Tribal Enterprises, Office of Executive Direction, and Climate Change and Energy Subcommittees to develop redevelopment plans, timelines, and incorporate community involvement in analysis of brownfield cleanup alternatives.
Ft. Lapwai, 271 B. Street, Lapwai, ID –
- January 2021: Received final Fort Lapwai Phase II ESA report from EPA.
- Ongoing: Working with Office of Executive Direction and Tribal Leadership to identify funding sources to conduct hazardous material abatement before progress can move forward on reclaiming the property as a new Tribal Governance Center.
- Institutional Controls: Due to extensive hazardous materials at the site, doors and windows to three of the four buildings have been boarded over, and extensive signage and fencing put up to discourage trespassers. The East Building has been renovated and is currently being used by the Nez Perce Tribe’s Adult Education Department.
Former Clearwater/Potlatch lumber mill, Spalding, ID –
- Summer 2020: coordinated with Tribal Enterprises to conduct geophysical surveys using electromagnetics and ground-penetrating radar to locate two abandoned Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) thought to be present on the site. No presence of the USTs was detected during the survey, however, an underground utility vault (used to store large electric transformers) was found near the US-95 right-of-way.
- July 2021: Met with Tribal Enterprises and engineers to discuss the development of the site. The development of a Water System Plan has been prioritized.
- The property is within the boundaries of the regional Grande Ronde Aquifer, an EPA-designated Sole Source Aquifer (SSA). Due to the threats to water quality and quantity within a SSA, we are advising Tribal Enterprises on redevelopment options and necessary protections required by EPA for development within the Grande Ronde SSA.