Basin Property Remediation Program
The primary method of cleanup is removal of contaminated soil on the surface of properties and replacing it with uncontaminated soil. Kellogg DEQ staff has provided oversight for mining company cleanup of residential areas from 1995 to completion. Since 2004, the DEQ Kellogg office has administrated the Basin Property Remediation Program for EPA, and over 7,000 properties have been remediated.
With fewer properties left to be cleaned up, landowners have only two to three more years to participate in the fully staffed program. After that, the number of properties addressed each year will depend on the number of landowners who provide consent to DEQ. Properties where young children or pregnant women live will be given highest priority and other properties will be on a first come-first-served basis.
Owners should provide DEQ with sampling consent forms. Upon consent, the program will sample soil and water and then remediate if necessary at no cost to the owner.
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| School Yard Remediation. DEQ 2012. |
Number of Properties Remediated Each Year
The gold bars show the number of properties remediated by the mining companies. The blue bars show the number of properties completed under the federally funded Basin Property Remediation Program.
DEQ hires local contractors to carry out soil and water sampling and implementation of the Basin Property Remediation Program.
Did you know?
- Residential property cleanup began in a 21-square-mile populated area called the Bunker Hill Box in 1986. Parks, schools, and homes with children living in them are the first priority. Today, properties in the Bunker Hill Box are certified complete.
- DEQ is currently formulating a Completion Strategy with local officials to certify completion of the BPRP.
Typical Yard Remediation
Sample: Every year, DEQ consultants request permission to collect soil samples.
Test: Soil samples are lab-tested for lead and arsenic to determine if soil remediation is necessary.
Follow-Up: If soil is known to be contaminated, then DEQ will notify the landowner. DEQ will review the proposed work with the landowner before construction begins.
Remedial Action: Generally, contaminated soil is removed to a depth between 6 to 12 inches and then taken to a repository for soil with contaminated waste. Topsoil or gravel is then placed. If contaminated soil exists deeper than the excavation, a barrier cloth is laid down to indicate where contaminated soil has been left underneath. Sod or grass seed will then be placed on bare soil areas.
Support: DEQ will continue to work with property owners 45 days after the cleanup to ensure that sod or grass seed is growing. There is a one-year warranty on vegetation and a two-year warranty for drainage. DEQ also works with landowners on complaints.
After cleanup, the Panhandle Health District (PHD) helps property owners manage the clean barrier through the Institutional Controls Program (ICP). The ICP is a free permitting program for excavation activities that provides access to disposal repositories. PHD consults with homeowners about managing ways to control lead exposure in the indoor home environment, too.
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High-risk populations take top priority for soil sampling, soil testing, and remedial action, if needed. "High-risk populations" are children six years of age or younger and/or pregnant women living in the home. |