Congratulations to Barbara Miller, Director of SVCRC
NW Toxic Communities member, environmental activist, and founder of the Silver Valley Community Resource Center (SVCRC), Barbara Miller, was declared Inland Northwest Woman of the Year for 2024 by The Spokesman Review, a regional newspaper based in Spokane.
Miller has spent decades advocating for the Silver Valley, Idaho community poisoned by mining operations. This picturesque valley spans northern Idaho and eastern Washington and is the location of the Bunker Hill Superfund Site, our nation’s largest superfund cleanup site. The Environmental Protection Agency first designated the region a Superfund site in 1983, after the health and environmental effects of the Silver Valley’s long mining history became too apparent to ignore. The entire Bunker Hill Superfund site includes the entire Coeur d’Alene River Basin – more than 1,500 square miles across North Idaho and Eastern Washington.
Read about Miller’s diligent advocacy and learn more about the scope of her work and the Bunker Hill Superfund at Women of the Year: Barbara Miller has spent decades advocating for her Silver Valley community poisoned by mining operations.
Miller’s Work
Protecting Children from Lead Poisoning
Much of Miller’s work over the past several decades has centered on educating parents about the importance of lead testing. As director of the SVCRC she also advocates for lead testing with the local health department and Idaho Department of Health. Her work has led to the establishment of the Idaho Lead Oversight Committee.
She continues working to establish a Community Lead Health Center where parents can take their children for lead testing, one of the solutions that is in overwhelming demand in the Bunker Hill Superfund Site region.
Read more on this website about her work on lead testing, Pediatric Lead Exposure Conference Update.