State lawmakers are being asked to put $3 million of the 2022 budget toward cleanup of the Triumph Mine, which had a collapse thanks to the 6.5 earthquake that shook the state in March of last year. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality made the request in a budget committee session. The funding level needs to be approved by the full Idaho Legislature which makes its budget decisions in the coming months.
For reference, Ketchum and Sun Valley are about seven miles to the northwest of the mine, although the towns and ski area are upstream of the mine pollution. The area covers about 60 acres. The Environmental Protection Agency says the site’s 1 million cubic yards of black sand is a health hazard because it is laced with lead, arsenic and zinc. Water from the mine area has an orange tint.
According to the DEQ, from the late 1800s until the 1950s, the Triumph Mine site was a lead, zin, and silver mining and milling operation. Mining practices used at the time left high levels of heavy metals in soils and water that required cleanup. Today’s mining practices are designed to prevent this type of contamination.