Remediation of the Bunker Hill Superfund Site

Program Management

MFA assists the Coeur d’Alene Trust with long-term planning and prioritization of projects and coordination with EPA and other project stakeholders. MFA prepares programmatic documents and annual work plans for the Coeur d’Alene Trust and assists EPA in preparation of programmatic documents for the Superfund site. MFA also manages databases on behalf of the Coeur d’Alene Trust for documents, field and analytical data, and spatial information.

Site Characterization

MFA leads the effort on site characterization for mine and mill sites, riparian areas, streams and rivers, floodplains, and marshes in the Upper and Lower basins of the Coeur d’Alene River. The scope of services encompasses a large range of activities such as installation and sampling of monitoring wells, screening soils using x-ray fluorescence, coring and sampling sediment in floodplains, and collection of adit discharge water. Characterization efforts involve soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater data collection, evaluation, and reporting. As part of this work, MFA uses its expertise in Geographic Information Systems and database management to draw findings from a multitude of intricate data sets, analyze historical and current data, and leverage spatial information.

Data Management

The Coeur d’Alene Trust’s data management goals are to promote secure, consistent, and efficient management of data throughout the actions undertaken in the Upper and Lower basins of the Coeur d’Alene River. The Data Management System (DMS) developed by MFA is used as the repository and resource for data and documents associated with investigation, design, construction, and monitoring work completed by the Coeur d’Alene Trust. The DMS includes data collection and data management protocols that are summarized in a data management plan implemented by the Coeur d’Alene Trust team.

MFA created databases and libraries for historical and current analytical data, work plans, reports, photos, survey and mapping information, and design plans and specifications. MFA has organized thousands of records for samples that have been collected throughout the basins and is able to quickly locate relevant information when needed. MFA also maintains a secure online document system that makes documents available to the Coeur d’Alene Trust team and to EPA and other stakeholders as appropriate. Using all the tools available in the DMS, MFA presents environmental data in visual and intuitive ways to aid in site characterization and remedial design.

Monitoring

MFA oversees the monitoring of groundwater and surface water at the repositories, mine and mill sites, and watersheds. MFA leads the data collection, management, evaluation, and reporting for all monitoring efforts.

The water, sediment, soil, and biological elements are monitored at individual sites and/or at the watershed level to establish baseline conditions, evaluate loading of contaminants of concern, characterize sites, and evaluate remedial action effectiveness.

MFA prepares plans to evaluate watershed and site remedial action effectiveness; one example is our assistance to EPA in its preparation of a revamped Basin Environmental Monitoring Plan. Remedial action effectiveness monitoring is tailored to the action/site and may include soil, sediment, surface water, groundwater, and biological elements.

Construction Management and Design Support

After site characterization, MFA’s support of the Coeur d’Alene Trust continues through the remedial design and construction phases. MFA provides a third-party technical review of the remedial designs prepared by other design engineers for the Coeur d’Alene Trust and promotes consistency throughout the program. During construction, MFA maintains records and provides as-needed support. MFA provided construction management services for the Remedy Protection Program, a multiyear program that we completed in 2019.

The Coeur d’Alene Trust project is a unique opportunity to coordinate multiple science and engineering disciplines to create positive environmental changes for communities on a large scale. The legacy of the impacts at the Bunker Hill Superfund Site has persisted for generations, and studies have been conducted for decades. It is exciting to be part of the Coeur d’Alene Trust team, who have accelerated cleanup actions throughout the site to protect human health and the environment.

– Alan R. Hughes, RG, LG, PG | Principal Geologist

I have had the unique privilege of working on projects at the Bunker Hill Superfund Site since 2016, seeing firsthand the positive impact on the environment and the community. In addition to the professional satisfaction that comes with effectively and efficiently implementing projects that assist in the reduction of contact risk between receptors and the environment, I am proud to see the positive impacts that have taken place in a community that I am tied to personally. My great grandparents lived and worked their entire adult lives in Kellogg, raising their three sons, including my grandfather, in the mining community. The pride I feel in coming full circle and being a part of the revitalization of that community and the surrounding communities is truly gratifying.

– Gianna Damiano, EIT | Staff Engineer

We have the privilege to assist the Coeur d’Alene Trust with the combined prioritization and ten-year planning process for Operable Unit 3, which involves source sites spread over 600+ square miles. This innovative combined approach allows us to consider a variety of factors, including risk to human health and the environment, contaminant loading to surface water, recontamination potential, cost, and location. Combining the prioritization and ten-year planning process establishes the most cost-effective and efficient project sequencing.

– Kara Beaudoin, PE | Senior Engineer