The Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year released its plan to contain soils with high levels of cyanide and fluoride at the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company Superfund Site. The plan calls for an underground concrete wall to prevent toxins from leaching into the groundwater. The method is known as a “slurry wall.”
The EPA has said removing all contaminated soils at the site along the Flathead River would be impractical given the size of the site and how close it is to the water.
But former owner Atlantic Richfield as well as residents question whether that will work with the rocky soil. The wall would be required to be over 100 feet deep.
People shared these concerns with the EPA during the public comment period. The Hungry Horse News first filed a request for those documents.
The EPA will respond to comments when it issues its final decision. That’s expected in March
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Regulators plan public meetings on Columbia Falls Aluminum cleanup. Governor extends the window for veterans and low-income homeowners to apply for tax assistance. Land trust announces preservation of 122 acres east of the National Bison Range. -
Montana legislators are urging Congress to help fund a program to extract rare earth minerals from the contaminated waters of Butte’s Berkeley Pit. The Environmental Quality Council is penning a letter asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to hold off on approving a clean-up plan for a superfund site in Columbia Falls. -
U.S. environmental regulators said containing toxic waste at a former aluminum smelter in Columbia Falls remains the best plan to protect the environment and human health. -
A federal judge has ruled that a former owner of an aluminum smelter outside of Columbia Falls is partially responsible for the financial costs of cleaning up the hazardous waste at the site. -
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks hopes to buy nearly 800 acres of private forest lands along the Flathead River. The agency is holding a public meeting about the project on Aug. 26. -
Work to clean up two contaminated ponds bordering the Flathead River at the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company Superfund site was completed earlier this…
