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CFAC, EPA talks keep progressing

by Becca Parsons Hungry Horse News
| September 18, 2015 8:20 AM

Talks between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Columbia Falls Aluminum Plant continue methodically. They discussed the terms and conditions of the administrative order on consent at a conference call Aug. 25, John Stroiazzo, Glencore project manager, said at the community liaison panel meeting last Thursday. The AOC is a legal contract between the EPA and CFAC that determines the rules of the aluminum plant cleanup. They will continue negotiating at another conference call Sept. 21. Mike Cirian, EPA remedial project manager, is on vacation, but this has not slowed the progress of discussions, Stroiazzo said.

"We haven't found any showstoppers or gaps in the process," he said.

A technical meeting to review the remedial investigation and feasibility study work plan is Oct. 6 and 7 in Columbia Falls. The EPA is currently reviewing the document and preparing questions for the meeting. CFAC will bring its technical team, Roux Associates, to answer EPA's questions and satisfy their requirements, Stroiazzo said.

Flathead County commissioner Phil Mitchell, asked if their goal is still to complete negotiations on the AOC by Thanksgiving.

Stroiazzo confirmed it is still a possibility.

Mitchell is concerned because CFAC failed to continue negotiations with the state Department of Environmental Quality. EPA and CFAC are talking, but nothing is final until the AOC is official.

"I applaud Glencore tonight but I'm weary," Mitchell said.

The EPA has the authority to list CFAC as a Superfund site at any time. The possibility of a Superfund listing will end when CFAC enters the consent agreement with the EPA.

However, the cleanup process is the same whether the plant is a Superfund site or not.

"The outcome will be the same," Stroiazzo said. "Two professionals can debate two wells or three wells until the cows come home. ... If we walk away the EPA will step in."

Once EPA and CFAC finish the order, the remedial investigation and feasibility study can start. He said it is the longest part of the cleanup process because Roux will begin drilling wells, collecting and analyzing samples, sometimes repeating this several times depending on the results.

Joe Russell, Flathead County public health officer, asked if demolition would continue unhindered before sampling is complete.

The demolition process is a two-year plan and independent of the sampling process, Stroiazzo said.

Clarence Taber, Columbia Falls Historical Society president, asked if locals would be used for sampling work.

"We will explore every local option," Mike Ritorto, Roux senior hydrogeologist, said. Roux plans to use sonic technology to drill the wells, which may reduce the number of potential employees in the area.

Ritorto explained surface soil is sampled using a shovel, trowel or auger. It is tested in the field for petroleum and chlorination compounds and the metal composition. Then it's shipped to the lab in bottles for further testing. Samples from below ground are taken in five-foot sections to make it easier to analyze and record data. Roux tests the subsurface samples in the field then decides which sections to send to the lab. The samples are put in a cooler with ice and sent overnight. Roux follows EPA methods of lab analysis and checks the data for error. The company also follows EPA requirements for data management - the data has to be easily accessed online in real time, he said.

Roux will publish a summary report at the completion of the investigation that will provide the contamination level of the ground at the plant, whether the contaminants are moving and if they pose harm to human health, he claimed.

Some of the panel members were concerned about the transparency of the data and whether it would go through CFAC before EPA receives it, or vice versa. Ritorto said that the data would be available to both companies independently.

Furthermore, the accountability of each company will be outlined in the AOC, Stroiazzo said.

The investigation is an important step for everyone.

"It's the start of everything," and if the data is wrong it may lead the rest of the cleanup down the wrong path, Stroiazzo said.

Roux is still looking for comments on the draft work plan, particularly from past CFAC employees who have inside knowledge of the contamination at the plant. Others in the room expressed similar urgency for people to speak up now.

"Now is the time to say it," Mitchell said.

The draft RI/FS is available for public review at the Columbia Falls ImagineIF Library and as a downloadable file at www.rouxinc.com/CFAC-Draft-RI-FS-Work-Plan-Available-for-Public-Comment.

CFAC asks the public, regulators, former CFAC employees and other interested parties to review and comment on the draft document. People can submit comments directly online using the form on Roux's website. People can email comments to CFAC-Comments@rouxinc.com or mail to CFAC RI/FS Comments, Roux Associates, c/o Columbia Falls Aluminum Company, 2000 Aluminum Drive, Columbia Falls MT 59912.

The minutes from past panel meetings are available at cityofcolumbiafalls.org/cfac-liaison-panel.

The next meeting is the community open house at 5:30-8 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Columbia Falls High School cafeteria. It is an informal opportunity for the public to talk to representatives from the community liaison panel, Calbag, EPA, Roux and CFAC. Refreshments will be served.