In the spring of 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reached an agreement with Teck Cominco (now called Teck) to conduct a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) of the Upper Columbia River, which includes Lake Roosevelt. EPA identified Teck's Trail smelter, located ten miles north of the Canadian border, as the primary source of slag and effluent carrying metals and other contaminants into Lake Roosevelt. EPA identified pulp operations in Canada, the LeRoi smelter (which operated in Northport for about thirty years at the turn of the twentieth century) and other discharges as less significant contaminant sources.

The original Trail smelter processed copper and gold. Teck bought the smelter in the early 1900s, and then processed other metals over the years. Current operations focus on smelting of zinc and lead for use in vehicles, batteries and numerous household products. EPA estimates that over a one hundred year period, Teck discharged wastewater with contaminants and up to 15 million tons of granulated fumed slag into the Columbia.

In 1995 Teck ceased discharging slag. In 1997 Teck implemented the Trail Modernization Program, which significantly improved the quality of wastewater being discharged into the river and the facilities overall environmental performance.

RI/FS Purpose

The purpose of the RI/FS is to investigate the nature and extent of contamination in the Upper Columbia River (which includes Lake Roosevelt) and to assess if there are unacceptable risks to human health and/or the environment as a result of the contamination. Depending on the outcomes of studies, the RI/FS will also evaluate potential cleanup actions and other remedies (called remedial alternatives) to safeguard human health and the environment.

Typically, an RI/FS is conducted after EPA designates an area a Superfund site. Such a designation, and the actions that follow, are guided by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). Created in 1980, this federal law enables EPA to clean up hazardous waste sites and compel responsible parties to conduct or fund EPA directed cleanups.

Lake Roosevelt, however, was not declared a Superfund site. Instead, the 2006 agreement reached with Teck allows EPA to carry out an RI/FS and other CERCLA processes without a Superfund designation being imposed.

Time Line for Completing Lake Roosevelt's RI/FS

The Lake Roosevelt RI/FS is expected to take another nine to twelve years to complete. This time frame, however, could change based on the results of studies and other factors. In the event the investigation identifies a human health or environmental issue requiring immediate protection, EPA can order early cleanup actions before the RI/FS is complete.