Contractors for Atlantic Richfield (AR) will begin demolition work this week at a former smelter site in the heart of Butte. MTPR’s John Hooks reports on the next phase of the city’s Superfund cleanup.
AR is getting a jump on the sizable cleanup of the Silver Bow Creek corridor by starting above-ground demolition at the Butte Reduction Works smelter site.
Josh Bryson, project manager for the company, said the demolition will not affect the remediation plans currently being designed by AR and the Environmental Protection Agency.
“That demolition won’t have any impact on the performance of the remedy or the soils being removed. But it allows us to get materials out of the way as we continue to prepare those design documents,” Bryson said.
Bryson said the company will use water trucks to suppress dust and set up three air monitoring stations to observe air quality.
Waste from the site will be transported to the Butte Mine Waste Repository using covered trucks and approved haul routes. Bryson said the demolition work is expected to conclude next summer.