Hecla agrees to $600,000 fine from EPA
Hecla Mining and the Environmental Protection Agency have settled a complaint alleging roughly 500 violations of the Clean Water Act by Hecla at the Lucky Friday Mine in Idaho between 2009 and 2014. In the settlement, the company agreed to pay a civil penalty of $600,000.
The alleged violations include failure to report environmental events to the agency as well as failing to install adequate storm water controls, discharges in excess of permitted levels and unpermitted discharge of pollutants, including metals-contaminated water, into the South Fork Couer d’Alene River.
“The last thing rivers like the South Fork Couer d’Alene need are unpermitted discharges and permit violations,” said Environmental Protection Agency Director of Compliance and Enforcement Ed Kowalski. “Compliance with waste water discharge permits is critical to protecting Idaho’s waterways. By maintaining the integrity of its discharges and ponds, and reporting problems quickly, Hecla can help protect and restore the health of the South Fork and its tributaries.”
Luke Russell, Hecla’s vice president of external affairs, said the bulk of the violations were related to storm drainage issues from 2009 and 2010, which have been rectified. He said the company installed a new treatment facility and has improved the water quality of discharges from the tailings ponds by more than 90 percent.
Russell also challenged the agency’s claim that the company improperly diverted storm runoff. The agency claims Hecla diverted a stream and excess storm runoff without the proper permit.
Russell said the company responded to an emergency storm runoff flood situation within the authority of their existing permit.
Russell said although the company contests many of the allegations made by the agency, settling the case out of court was the best course of action.
“Hecla takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously,” he said. “We don’t agree with all the allegations, but we decided it was best to settle this without going to court so we can move forward and focus on the work and doing it the right way.”
Clean Water Act violations carry a fine of up to $37,500 per instance. With 500 separate violations alleged, the total fine for Hecla, had a judge ruled in the agency’s favor, could have exceeded $18.7 million. The settlement ends the dispute with a single civil penalty of $600,000 and no admission of wrongdoing on the part of the company. The payment is due to the United States government within 30 days of the entry of the settlement, which happened May 28.
Hecla Mining recently entered into an agreement to purchase Revett Mining Inc., owner of the Troy and Rock Creek mines. Hecla has publicly announced its intention to begin the final reclamation of Troy Mine and pursue permitting and full production at Rock Creek. The acquisition is still pending approval of Revett shareholders, but is expected to close later this month.