An RI/FS for the upper Columbia River and Lake Roosevelt

In 2006, the United States reached an agreement with Teck Cominco (now called Teck Metals Ltd.) to conduct a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) of Lake Roosevelt and the upper Columbia. EPA refers to this area as the Upper Columbia River (UCR) site. An RI/FS investigates the nature and extent of contamination and whether it results in a risk to people or the environment. It also, if needed, evaluates cleanup actions and other remedies.

EPA oversees all Teck funded RI/FS activities to ensure that they meet standards set by Superfund law. EPA decisions are made with input by "participating parties."These include the Colville Confederated Tribes, the Spokane Tribe of Indians, the State of Washington (represented by the Washington Department of Ecology), and the U.S. Department of Interior. Interior agencies include the Bureau of Reclamation, the National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey. Although not listed in the agreement, the Washington State Department of Health is also consulted.

Stay Informed

The easiest way to find more information is via the world wide web. Sites include:

The Lake Roosevelt Forum: www.lrf.org, click on newsletters and the environment icon.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/cleanup.nsf/sites/UpperC
Teck: www.ucr-rifs.com
The United States Geological Survey: http://wa.water.usgs.gov/projects/roosevelt/
The Washington Department of Health: www.doh.wa.gov/fish
Citizens for a Clean Columbia: www.cleancolumbia.org

EPA also maintains document repositories at Northport Town Hall, the Colville Public Library, Inchelium Tribal Resource Center, Nespelem Office of Environmental Trust, Grand Coulee Library, Wellpinit, and the Spokane Library.