An atmospheric river swept across the Pacific Northwest, dropping more than a foot of rain in portions of the Cabinet Mountains in December of 2025. According to Lincoln County officials, the storm left tens of millions of dollars in damages across the region.
The damage included a destabilized bank on Libby Creek located on the Lincoln County Port Authority property. On August 14, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality said it, the Lincoln County Asbestos Resource Program and their contractors have stabilized that stretch of creek bank.
Initial estimates put the cost at over one-million dollars. The final price tag came in at less than half that. The state is seeking Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement for portions of the project.
DEQ and its contractors are also surveying private property for signs of asbestos-related contamination deposited by the flood waters.
