The Page waste repository, located west of Smelterville, Idaho, takes in waste soils contaminated with metals—lead being the metal of greatest concern—from development activity in the "Box." The Box is a 21-square-mile area along I-90, in the Silver Valley in northern Idaho. It includes the communities of Kellogg, Smelterville, Pinehurst, Wardner, Page, Elizabeth Park, Montgomery Gulch, and Ross Ranch. The Box is part of the Bunker Hill Superfund Site.

The repository also takes in lead-contaminated soils from the local Institutional Controls Program (ICP). These soils must be safely contained to protect public health and the environment.

Improvements in management of the repository recently have been made. To keep non-ICP wastes (trash and yard wastes) out of the repository, access to Page is now more restricted. Access for disposal now requires an ICP access card. The access card is provided to those who obtain an ICP permit. For information about ICP permits, call the Panhandle Health District (PHD) at (208) 783-0707. The repository will not accept household refuse, electronics, information technology wastes, household hazardous wastes, wood waste, or construction waste that is not permitted by PHD under the ICP.

In 2008, erosion trouble spots at the repository were fixed. Side slopes were re-graded and seeded. Also, features were installed to direct rainfall and snowmelt off the repository surface. Operations and maintenance plans are being finalized to make sure the site is properly managed over the long term to protect people and the environment.

The repository has reached its capacity, and a limited expansion of the facility will start this summer. The Upstream Mining Group (UMG) will do most of the field work, with oversight by DEQ and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The expansion will add about two acres to the site’s footprint. Capacity will grow by about 75,000 cubic yards. Based on disposal rates over the past 10 years, this small expansion is expected to provide capacity for 3 to 7 more years.

Most of the existing repository will be closed after the expansion area is open. Part of it may be used to temporarily stockpile wastes. (The site will be open as usual to accept permitted ICP waste during the expansion project.) About 12 acres of the existing repository will be seeded with native grasses to control dust and reduce the amount of water soaking into the wastes. Public access to the existing Page repository, which is owned by the South Fork Coeur d’Alene Sewer District, will be closed. Access to the new expansion area will be from the same road in use now.

The expansion will fill about two acres of contaminated wetlands and riparian area which developed on mine tailings. A Clean Water Act Section 404 analysis is needed. The agencies and UMG are considering locations to re-create the wetlands values that will be lost in the expansion.

Although no formal public comment period is required, the public will have a chance to preview the analysis this summer.

DEQ and EPA are working with UMG on several items. As required by a 1994 legal agreement, UMG has cleaned up the most contaminated and accessible tailings in the Page area. Cleanup or closure of the remaining contaminated wetland soils has not been completed due to changes in the cleanup plan caused by regulatory issues. The original plan was to have a wet closure, where the wetland soils would be submerged to a depth of about two feet. A wet closure is no longer possible, however, and the wetlands remain an exposure source to wildlife. DEQ and EPA are reviewing past work to make sure all required elements of the Page area cleanup have been done.

DEQ, EPA, and UMG also are exploring possible locations for a long-term ICP repository in the Box. This may include further expansion to the west to cover the contaminated wetland soils. This long-term ICP repository would take in mining-contaminated materials from both the populated and non-populated areas of the Box.

Current efforts are focusing on determining the rate at which ICP material will likely be generated in future years throughout the Box. This rate will determine how big the long-term ICP repository would need to be. When the long-term ICP repository is to be created, the agencies will carry out a public involvement process.