Demolition firm looks at site

Glencore announced on March 3 that its Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. smelter will be permanently closed and demolition of some buildings at the site could take place as part of the closure. The announcement sparked a new round of speculation and discussion among locals.

One rumor that was confirmed by the Hungry Horse News is that a representative from a large, experienced West Coast corporation toured the CFAC plant in late February and made an offer to Glencore to clean up the potlines and associated buildings. Interestingly for many locals was that the company offered several million dollars to Glencore to clean up the smelter buildings, rather than vice versa.

The demolition company, which has torn down nuclear power plants, oil refineries and several aluminum smelters, is primarily interested in recycling steel. But cleanup projects at seven Pacific Northwest aluminum smelters recovered huge quantities of aluminum, copper, raw materials, smelting chemicals and usable equipment. The value of the recycled material and equipment apparently can more than pay for the cleanup of those facilities.

An unconfirmed rumor is that demolition of the plant site proper could begin in May and be completed in two years. The Hungry Horse News has not heard any rumors, however, about cleaning up the landfills, where spent potliner has already contaminated the groundwater with cyanide. Cleaning up the landfills could prove to be very costly.