(AGENPARL) – ven 10 gennaio 2025 Issued: Jan 10, 2025 (5:05pm EST)
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EPA and Montana DEQ announce Cleanup Plan for Columbia Falls Aluminum Company
Superfund Site
Record of Decision document follows extensive public engagement, details
actions to protect human health and the environment
Contacts:
406-594-9959
or 406-560-6261
406-444-6469
Columbia Falls, Mont. (January 10, 2025) – Today, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality
(DEQ) jointly announced a formalized plan for the Superfund cleanup of the
Columbia Falls Aluminum Company (CFAC) Superfund site in Columbia Falls,
Montana. This document, known as a Record of Decision (ROD), represents a
significant milestone in ongoing efforts to address contamination at the site
and ensure the long-term health and safety of the community and environment.
“This cleanup plan reflects years of collaboration and is a crucial step in
finalizing a comprehensive set of cleanup actions that will protect the health
of the community and the environment,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC
Becker. “In partnership with Montana DEQ and the Columbia Falls community
leaders, we have worked to ensure public participation and transparency
throughout the process. We are moving forward now to get the cleanup underway,
protect the Flathead River, and move towards a safer, healthier future for
everyone who calls the Columbia Falls area home.”
“DEQ’s highest priority, for any Superfund site in Montana, is that the
selected remedy be protective of human health and the environment,” said DEQ
Director Sonja Nowakowski. “We are confident that the plan announced today
will meet those criteria, and DEQ will work with stakeholders and the EPA to
ensure that the cleanup is successfully implemented.”
The ROD, released today, marks a transition from the investigative phase to
the cleanup implementation stage at the site, informed by years of
comprehensive scientific research and active public engagement in coordination
with DEQ. The ROD establishes a framework for future cleanup actions to
protect the Flathead River and reduce risks to the Columbia Falls community
and environment.
EPA and DEQ will now work to finalize a consent decree with the potentially
responsible parties, ensuring cleanup actions proceed as planned. This consent
decree will include a comprehensive statement of work and will be open for
public comment before finalizing. EPA and DEQ estimate that the actual cleanup
activities, once initiated, will take two to four years to complete.
Both agencies are committed to working closely with the community throughout
the cleanup process. Efforts to engage the public have included information
sessions, fact sheets, online updates, one-on-one discussions, and attendance
at local community events. EPA also provided the community with a technical
assistance advisor through the Technical Assistance Services for Communities
program to help residents better understand the technical issues and documents
associated with the Proposed Plan.
The Record of Decision and supporting documents are available for public
access at the ImaginIF Library, 130 6th St. W, Columbia Falls, MT, and on the
EPA’s CFAC Superfund Site webpage. The public can also find the ROD and
related materials on the EPA’s CFAC Superfund Site webpage.
Read the letter of support for this action from DEQ.
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