MOSCOW — Environmental hazards are being eliminated from Black Rock, a former smelter site on Lake Pend Oreille under the direction of Alta Science & Engineering.
The Moscow-based firm was recently selected to design and execute a plan to remove and encapsulate lead and arsenic from the 20-acre site recently acquired by the city of Ponderay, said Derek Forseth, the company’s CEO.
The area is popular among boaters and other recreationists because of the rock’s striking appearance, he said.
The rock formed in the early 1900s from what was left after rock was heated to high temperatures to remove silver and gold, Forseth said.
“It’s not naturally there, but it kind of looks like it was,” he said.
The millions of dollars in restoration work is expected to be mostly finished by the end of 2023.
The money is coming from the Environmental Protection Agency, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the city of Ponderay, he said.
“It will be safe from a human health and ecological standpoint,” he said. “It’s right there on the lake. It’s really beautiful.”
The contract is one of about 500 Alta has landed since its founding five years ago in a spin-off from TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering.
Its staff of 47 is split about equally between offices in Moscow, Boise and Kellogg. They serve a territory that includes all of the Pacific Northwest and clients as far away as Alaska, Montana and Nevada.
They work on some of the most prominent environmental cleanup projects in the nation, including the Bunker Hill Super Fund site in a silver-mining area of northern Idaho.
At Bunker Hill, a layer of clean soil has successfully prevented lead and arsenic from leaching into nearby waterways and soil, Forseth said.
One of Alta’s jobs was to design and install 30 structures spread over about 30 miles to prevent the clean soil from eroding, he said.
The work earned Alta the 2021 engineering excellence award from the American Council of Engineering Companies in Idaho, Forseth said.
“It’s been an amazing five years in a blink of an eye,” he said.
The Jolly Trolley: Designated driver for hire in L-C Valley and beyond
Basalt Cellars in Clarkston, Rivaura Estate Vineyards near Arrow and Riverport Brewing in Clarkston are destinations on tours offered by The Jolly Trolley, a company that recently began offering beer and wine tours.
The by-reservation-only trips go to wineries or breweries in a 20-passenger bus that serves the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, Juliaetta and the Palouse.
The Jolly Trolley also provides custom trips such as driving wedding parties to and from the site of the ceremony or taking groups of friends and relatives to birthday dinners at restaurants on the Palouse.
The cost is $105 per hour for the first four hours, with discounts available for longer tours.
The business is owned by Karen and Jonah Basaraba, a Clarkston couple, who have full-time jobs separate from The Jolly Trolley. She is a labor and delivery nurse at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston and he is an employee of Costco in Clarkston.
Additional information and reservations are available at jollytrolleylcv.com.
WSU is berry proud of Huckleberry Ripple award
PULLMAN — Huckleberry Ripple ice cream from the Washington State University Creamery recently received national recognition.
The treat won the Big Scoop ice cream competition of the American Society of Animal Sciences, beating out samples from other institutions, according to a news release from WSU.
The “regionally distinctive” flavor is a perennial top seller at WSU’s Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe, said Gordon Murdoch, chair of WSU’s Department of Animal Sciences.
“The secret to WSU’s success might be in the milk: (WSU students) are involved in every step of its journey from cow to cone,” according to the news release.
Students milk the 170-cow herd twice a day at the WSU Knott Dairy Center, which was founded in 1962.
Cellphone dealer helps families prepare for the school year
Two Verizon stores in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley are among more than 1,200 in the nation giving away backpacks with school supplies a week from today.
The event happens from 1-4 p.m. July 31 at TCC Lewiston at 143 Thain Road and TCC Clarkston at 520 Diagonal St.
A total of 140,000 backpacks with items such as pencils, paper, pencil boxes, folders, rulers and glue, will be distributed throughout the country on a first-come, first-served basis, according to a news release about the event.
Families also can enter to win a $10,000 college scholarship.
“The rising cost of school supplies have made it immensely difficult for many families to adequately prepare children each school year,” said Scott Morehead, the CEO of Round Room, a Verizon authorized retailer, in a news release.
“Our goal is to alleviate these challenges for as many families as we can through this annual give-back event,” he said.
Clearwater Paper financial report coming in early August
Clearwater Paper will report its financial results for April, May and June on Aug. 2.
The company’s president and CEO, Arsen Kitch, and Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer Michael Murphy will be part of a conference call that same day.
They will make presentations and answer questions from stock market analysts at 2 p.m. in an event broadcast on Clearwater Paper’s website, clearwaterpaper.com.
The tissue and paper board manufacturer is one of Lewiston’s largest employees. It made $17 million in January, February and March of this year.
Tax conference scheduled at WSU in August
PULLMAN — Tax attorneys, certified public accountants and entrepreneurs are the target group for an upcoming event at WSU.
The Washington State Tax Conference will be held Aug. 11-12 at WSU’s Pullman campus. The price is $225 for online or in-person participants. Some meals and networking opportunities are included in the cost for those who attend in person. Registration is available at bit.ly/3RTQais.
The Hoops Institute of Taxation is hosting the conference in partnership with the Washington State Department of Revenue.
Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.
