EPA, CFAC reach deal on investigation study

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. have reached an agreement that sets the legal and logistical framework for an investigation and possible cleanup of the old aluminum smelter site.

The plan is backed by a $4 million irrevocable letter of credit put up by the company.

Planning should start immediately, with field work beginning next spring.

Under the terms of the agreement, CFAC will conduct a comprehensive investigation of soils, river sediments, and ground and surface water to determine the nature and extent of contamination at the 960 acre site along the Flathead River north of Columbia Falls.  The company will reimburse EPA for its future costs in overseeing the investigation.

“This agreement will help us fully identify the nature and extent of  contamination and begin to address threats to human health and the environment at the Columbia Falls Aluminum Plant Superfund site,” said Shaun McGrath, EPA’s regional administrator in Denver.  “We are encouraged that the company has committed to an aggressive investigation of the contamination in a legally binding agreement.”

The company has sought to avoid a formal Superfund listing. It hopes to clean up the site under a different designation, known as the Superfund Alternative Assessment.

EPA’s initial evaluation indicates that ground water and surface water at the site contain various contaminants of concern, including cyanide, fluoride, and various metals. Cyanide has not been found above safe water drinking levels in private wells outside the plant.

The results of the investigation will determine cleanup needs and identify potential cleanup options at the site. The EPA worked closely with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to negotiate the scope and details of the investigation.

The Columbia Falls Aluminum plant operated between 1955 and 2009 and created significant quantities of spent potliner material, a federally listed hazardous waste, as a byproduct of the aluminum smelting process. Spent potliner material is known to contain cyanide compounds that can leach into groundwater.

The agreement takes the project through a remedial investigation and feasibility study of the site. That process takes about four years, noted project manager Mike Cirian. He said the remedial investigation actually determines the best way to clean up the facility.

The EPA and the company then go back to the negotiating table on an actual cleanup, which falls under a judicial consent decree.

The investigation and feasibility study will take about four years. By then, most of the plant above ground will be demolished. But the site still has several landfills that have been used over the years.

All told, there are plans to dig more than 46 test wells on the site. That alone will take about a year, Cirian said.

The Columbia Falls Aluminum plant operated between 1955 and 2009 and created significant quantities of spent potliner material, a federally listed hazardous waste, as a byproduct of the aluminum smelting process. Spent potliner material is known to contain cyanide compounds that can leach into groundwater. In 1985, Columbia Falls Aluminum Company bought the plant from Atlantic Richfield Company, which had purchased the facility from the plant’s original owner, Anaconda Company, in 1977.

The agreement came with significant political pressure from Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and Montana Sen. Jon Tester.

Both rallied to have the site listed as a Superfund site.

“I’m pleased Glencore has finally realized it has an obligation to the people of Columbia Falls,” Tester said. “As this process moves forward, I will continue to hold the company and the EPA responsible for ensuring this site is cleaned up and revitalized so we can continue to strengthen the economy in the Flathead.”

“I welcome the news that Glencore has recognized its obligations to clean the site and make it ready to once again become a driver of the Flathead economy,”  Bullock said.  “The plant was a critical part of the economy of Columbia Falls and the site has been idle for too long.  It has tremendous potential for redevelopment and will be an important anchor in the future of the region.”

EPA representatives will attend a community meeting in Columbia Falls on Jan. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Columbia Falls High School cafeteria to discuss the agreement, address questions, and outline next steps, including opportunities for public involvement.