Page 6 - Flathead Beacon // 4.23.14

6 | APRIL 23, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM

EPA Ready to Designate CFAC

Plant a Superfund Site
READER

POLL

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
Federal, state oicials

Should Bartenders be Charged ask for community

with a Crime for Over-Serving support to add site to
Patrons?
National Priorities List

By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon

The Environmental Protection Agency
is ready to designate the shuttered Colum-
bia Falls Aluminum Company plant a Su-
39YES 61NO perfund site, but it’s looking for public sup-
% % port before conducting a more extensive
TOTAL VOTES: 160
investigation into the contamination. EPA
and Montana Department of Environmen-
tal Quality oicials hosted a meeting on
April 15 in Columbia Falls to discuss a re-
Should CFAC be Designated a cently completed study that found the land
Superfund Site?
around the site is contaminated with vari-
ous metals and chemicals, including cya-

nide and luoride.
“We want to begin an ongoing dialogue
with the community about this site,” said
Rob Parker, the EPA’s site assessment man-
EPA Site Assesment Manager Rob Parker, left, speaks with residents of Columbia Falls on April 15 about the
ger.shuttered CFAC plant just north of town. EPA oicials said they have enough evidence to designate it a Su-
EPA oicials on April 15 revealed that perfund site. JUSTIN FRANZ | FLATHEAD BEACON
their study found various contaminations
72% YES 28% NO around the site, especially in the north and National Priorities List would designate it the CFAC site was a ticking time bomb.”

TOTAL VOTES: 120
south percolation ponds and the plant’s as a Superfund site and result in a more ex- The Anaconda Company opened the
landill area. Cyanide, arsenic, lead and tensive investigation, but that won’t happen CFAC aluminum plant, located just north
luoride were all found in the groundwa- without local support. Victor Ketellapper, of Columbia Falls along the Flathead
ter in and around the plant. The EPA also team leader of the site assessment program, River, in 1955 and the plant operated un-
sampled water in ive residential wells in a said residents should contact local, state der various owners until 2009, when the
Should NCAA Student nearby neighborhood, called “Aluminum and federal leaders and share their thoughts current owner, Glencore, closed it. In the
Athletes be Paid?
City,” and cyanide was found in two of the on the project.
years following the closure, politicians and
local leaders have attempted to work out
wells. The concentrations of cyanide in both “Through this assessment we have the
wells, however, were below the Safe Drink- data to name it a Superfund site,” he said.
deals with the Swiss commodities irm to
ing Water Act’s allowable limits. Following Federal, state and local oicials attend- reopen the plant, but the site has remained
that discovery, the EPA took additional well ed the meeting held at the Columbia Falls shuttered and many doubt it will ever
samples April 9. Those tests are still being Fire Department. There were no represen- reopen.
processed.
tatives from Glencore.
In late 2012, Dee Brown, a Republican
The testing also indicated that both Everyone from the public who spoke up state senator from Hungry Horse, went
the Flathead River and Cedar Creek were was in support of cleaning the site, including before the Flathead County Commission
27% YES 73% NO
impacted by cyanide and manganese. Ad- city councilor Mike Shepard, who worked at and said the 120-acre CFAC site should be
TOTAL VOTES: 204
ditional testing will be completed to deter- CFAC in the 1970s.
cleaned up and redeveloped. Soon after, at
mine the extent of river contamination and “I think this meeting was long overdue,” the urging of Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tes-
whether it has impacted the ish population.
he said. “Those of us who have lived in Co- ter, the EPA began studying the site in 2013.
ONLINE POLL RESULTS ARE NOT SCIENTIFIC
EPA oicials said adding the site to the
lumbia Falls for a long time have known that
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