CFAC Superfund decision won't come until fall, now

The Environmental Protection Agency won’t make a decision on a Superfund listing for the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. plant until this fall, said project manager Mike Cirian.

Cirian contacted the Hungry Horse News about the announcement Tuesday afternoon. Cirian had initially said the EPA could make an announcement in March, which set city leaders on edge.

Both CFAC and Columbia Falls Mayor Don Barnhart oppose Superfund listing for the site. The city wants to see a Superfund Alternative Approach, which would hold the cleanup to Superfund standards, but not the actual listing. The announcement Tuesday at least gives the city time to prepare for a listing, if it comes.

The city initially supported a Superfund listing, because the plant sat idle for years after it shut down. But the company most recently put up $4 million to complete a remedial investigation and feasibility study of the plant and has indicated a willingness to clean it up.  

More than 40 test wells will be dug this spring to find the extent of groundwater contamination at the site. Initial tests have found cyanide in the groundwater, but cyanide, to date, has not been found in amounts greater than safe water drinking thresholds in nearby residential wells. The site has several landfills, which were used for decades since the plant was first constructed in the 1950s.