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We moved to our dream location near Kooskia, Idaho (Idaho County) in 2004 after my husband retired.  We chose this location because of the peace, quiet, beauty and clean air.  Since then it has been that UNTIL Feb 20, 2009. 

In the fall of 2008, Knife River Corp (of Boise, Id) leased the hillside across the road from our home for a period of 10 years.  We didn't know about that until the following happened.  The owner of the land resides in Texas (not Idaho County or even the state of Idaho).  Knife River Corp. (Boise, Id division) and their sub contractor, DeAtley Rock Crushing (of Lewiston, Id)  set up a rock crushing operation on the site starting up on Feb 20, 2009.  We contacted the Idaho County Commissioners and complained about the noise and dust.  They were operating the crusher and pushing rock off the cliff (both huge noise producers) they've made from 5 a.m. until a minimum of 11:30 p.m.   Most days until after the Commissioners meeting on March 10 they were running the extreme noise until about 2 a.m.  This left us with about 3 hr sleep a night.  They are now running it from 5 am to 11:30 p.m. affording us about 4 1/2 to 5 hr sleep a night and Monday thru Fri and running 8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  on Saturdays.  When we talked to Knife River, they said "so what?  you live in Idaho County and there are no planning and zoning or noise laws so we can do whatever we want and we will and if you don't like it you can move".   These companies aren't even local ones and are basically not hiring any local people, so no help for the economy of this area.  No compassion or any since of wrong doing.  This has got to be the only place in America that allows property tax paying resident homeowners to go thru this kind of torture.  We are suffering sleep deprivation and  irritability from the excruciating noise which reverberates from the machines to the cliff and back to our house and bedroom, sinus and eye issues from the dust.  I now understand what the term "torture" actually means.  This will continue for 6 to 8 weeks but when will they return?  They do have now have a 10 year land lease.   An added comment:  there was only a rock crusher on that site for a brief period in the mid 90's when they built the road thru this newly formed sub division.  Other than that, in the past 10 years or so a few local contractors have only taken sporadic truck loads of base rock out....using a loader and only during the daylight hours.   Never any blasting during that time frame.  Never a crusher.  It sounds like an endless freight train close to our home.

Idaho County wants to attract retirees and others here but they will do nothing to protect us from this kind of thing happening.  If you're thinking of retiring to Idaho........BEWARE OF IDAHO COUNTY.  (UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE ABUSED ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY AND IN YOUR OWN HOME)