An RIFS for the Upper Columbia River & Lake Roosevelt
This public guide shares with you:
- What is currently known,
- Information about additional RI/FS studies and activities that are either underway or planned,
- Background information to help understand what's being studied and why, and
- A timeline showing why more years of investigation and assessment are planned.
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 Lake Roosevelt Forum: http://www.lrf.org/about-the-forum/newsletters
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/cleanup.nsf/sites/upperc
• Teck: http://www.ucr-rifs.com
• The United States Geological Survey: http://wa.water.usgs.gov/projects/roosevelt/
• The Washington Department of Health: http://www.doh.wa.gov/fish
• Citizens for a Clean Columbia: http://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.