POST FALLS - Three informational meetings on the Coeur d'Alene Basin's Superfund cleanup project will be held.

The meetings include:

* Tuesday, 6 p.m., Wallace Inn, Gold Room, 100 Front St., Wallace;

* Wednesday, 10 a.m., Post Falls City Hall, 408 N. Spokane St.; and

* Thursday, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., Silver Mountain Resort, Shoshone Room, 610 Bunker Ave., Kellogg.

The meetings are a free resource for residents throughout the basin and will offer educational and technical assistance regarding the cleanup project.

"EPA has heard that local residents want new ways to get information and more opportunities to be involved in decision-making," a press release states. "We want local residents to have real opportunities to be involved in agency decision making and to have useful information about cleanup activities."

The meetings - called Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) - are intended to gain citizen input on needs of the community with regard to the project.

"TASC would like to hear from community members about what, if any, technical assistance they would like," said Terrie K. Boguski of Skeo Solutions, which holds the TASC contract from EPA. "The meetings are the first step in the needs assessment process.

"We will invite meeting attendees to sign up to talk with TASC representatives individually about the kinds of educational or technical support they think would benefit the community."

Input from the meetings will be assembled into a report to the EPA, which will recommend future technical assistance activities for EPA to consider.

The EPA hires contractors to carry out Superfund projects. Cleanup work has started and will continue this year.

Surface water, groundwater, soil and sediments in the basin have been severely contaminated by a century of pollution from mining activities in the Silver Valley.

The region still contains high concentrations of lead, zinc, cadmium, arsenic and other contaminants.