From Trout Unlimited:
ARLINGTON, Va.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved a permit for Trout Unlimited to tackle the first abandoned mine cleanup permitted under the agency’s new “Good Samaritan” program created by law in 2024.
The work will address ongoing contamination of Toroda Creek in Okanogan County, Wash., about 140 miles northwest of Spokane. At the site, known as the Bodie Mine, historic mine tailings will be removed and streambanks restored to reduce contamination of the stream by arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury and other toxins. The project will improve water quality in the creek and improve the health of the broader watershed, part of the Columbia River Basin.
“Hardrock abandoned mines are a scourge on the landscape. No one is required to clean them up, so every day they release their toxic brew of zinc, cadmium, lead, and arsenic into our drinking water and trout streams,” said Chris Wood, president and CEO of Trout Unlimited, a longtime leader in abandoned mine remediation. “Bully for the EPA recognizing that fact and authorizing the first abandoned mine cleanup under the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024. May their efforts lead many more states and communities, non-profits, and yes, even mining companies, to lend a hand and make our waters more fishable and swimmable.”
The Good Samaritan act passed with broad bipartisan support following a 20-year campaign championed by Trout Unlimited. The legislation paves the way for state agencies and other third parties to clean up abandoned mines more quickly and effectively. Tens of thousands of abandoned mines pollute rivers and streams across the country.
Abandoned mines are historic sites, often a century old or more, for which no parties can be held responsible for cleaning up. Federal laws treat organizations that volunteer to clean up these mines, including state agencies and private groups like Trout Unlimited, as if they are the very polluters who left behind the mine waste.
This creates daunting obstacles that prevent mine cleanups, including complicated permitting and long-term legal and financial liability for any mine pollution remaining after cleanup. The Good Sam law created a pilot program to provide limited liability protections for up to 15 low-risk projects conducted by state agencies or other third parties.
While the Bodie Mine project is the nation’s first Good Sam project, Trout Unlimited has spent decades navigating regulatory hurdles and implementing technical on-the-ground solutions to abandoned mine pollution across the West.