Page 10 - Flathead Beacon // 5.13.15

10 | MAY 13, 2015 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM
EPA Cleanup Plan Leaves Some Asbestos in Libby
Facts
FIGURES
Numbers in the news
5.4%
The U.S. unemployment rate in April, the lowest rate since May 2008.
80 mph
The speed limit on some
interstate highways this fall after Gov. Steve Bullock signed Senate Bill 375.
$1.5 billion
Net loss of the U.S. Postal Service during the first three months of this year.
420 million
Fewer pieces of mail sent in the U.S. through the Postal Service from January through March compared to the same period a year ago.
44
Years that Alberta, Canada’s conservative party was in power until last week, when voters elected a New Democratic Party government to lead the province.
By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
In its long-delayed final cleanup plan
for the contaminated mining town of Lib- by, where asbestos exposure has sickened thousands, the U.S. Environmental Pro- tection Agency on May 5 proposed leav- ing some of the deadly material in places where it presents minimal risk, including in the walls of houses and underground.
The plan is more than 15 years in the making, dating back to early media re- ports that revealed widespread illness caused by asbestos exposure from the W.R. Grace and Co. vermiculite mine and prompted the EPA’s response. Health of- ficials estimate that more than 400 Lib- by residents have died of asbestos-re- lated disease in the past several decades and thousands more are sickened from breathing asbestos fibers.
The vermiculite tailings from Zonolite Mountain near Libby was used as home insulation and fire retardant, mixed in with garden topsoil and used to make the track at Libby High School.
It was also riddled with deadly asbestos.
Since the EPA’s initial response, the agency has spent $540 million remov- ing a million cubic yards of contaminat- ed dirt from more than 2,000 properties,
and officials say Libby’s air is now much safer than it was.
However, about 300 to 500 proper- ties could need further cleanup work. In many of those cases, EPA officials said property owners have refused access to the agency, but residents worry that fu- ture disturbances could release hazard- ous contaminants.
Airborne asbestos concentrations in the community of 3,000 residents are now comparable to levels in other cities, according to officials, but residents worry that the asbestos-laden vermiculite could escape during excavation work, construc- tion, home renovations, and other unfore- seen disturbances.
Even though the air is safe in Libby to- day than it was when the EPA first arrived, having removed thousands of truckloads of contaminated soil and replacing it with clean topsoil, the agency has acknowl- edged some people in Libby still are at risk, particularly landscapers and others who stir asbestos-laden soil.
If the agency’s proposal moves for- ward, following a two-month public com- ment period, officials said the EPA could wrap most of its work in Libby by the end of the decade.
The agency’s proposal includes a num-
ber of “institutional controls” to manage the remaining asbestos. Those include zoning restrictions that would prohibit what activities are allowed on contami- nated property, permit requirements for the disturbance of contaminated soil or building materials, and advisories issued to firefighters and others who might inad- vertently encounter asbestos on the job.
Just how much asbestos is being left behind is uncertain. Agency officials have never fully documented how many homes and businesses were left with vermiculite in their walls after cleanup work was completed.
The Libby area remains for now in the EPA’s Superfund program.
W.R. Grace reached a $250 million settlement with the EPA in 2008 to cover government cleanup costs in Libby and the surrounding area. The company re- mains responsible for cleaning up the mine site. Company executives accused of knowing of the health problems in the town were acquitted of federal criminal charges in 2009.
Public comment on the proposed plan will run for 60 days, from May 8 to July 8. The plan is available online at http:// www2.epa.gov/region8/libby-asbestos
[email protected]
Swan River Road Path Project to Begin
By BEACON STAFF
The Swan River Road path project
took a step forward on May 7, when the Flathead County Commission decided on a company to build the pathway, which should be under construction by mid May.
Sandry Construction Company, Inc., which has offices in Bigfork and Spokane, was awarded the project after the county accepted the company’s $201,031 bid.
The entire cost of the project, which includes the design and construction of
a 1.5-mile, hard-surfaced bike and pe- destrian path, was initially estimated at $300,000 in 2012.
The county requested nearly $260,000 in federal Community Transportation Enhancement Program (CTEP) funds, with the Bigfork Rotary Club responsible for the $40,000 match.
The proposed trail would run from Lee Road – which is near Montana High- way 83 around Echo Lake Café and Swan River School – to Williams Lane, connect- ing two existing paths.
According to project documentation, Sandry Construction will be responsible for excavation, embankment construc- tion, a retaining wall, placing base gravel, paving the path, adding fencing, minor drainage, and landscaping along the pro- posed path.
Mark Sandry, owner of Sandry Construction, said construction on the path is expected to begin on May 18, and should take about a month.
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COME EARLY FOR THE BEST SELECTION AT THIS HUGE PARKING LOT GARAGE SALE!
THIRD ANNUAL
WEST VALLEY SCHOOL PARKING LOT GARAGE SALE!
A Fundraiser for West Valley School PTA
MAY 16
Saturday 8AM-3PM
2290 FARM TO MARKET RD,
JUST WEST OF KALISPELL
(West on Reserve to end at West Valley School Parking lot, see you there!)
THIS WILL BE A HUGE SALE WITH ALL KINDS OF ITEMS TO INCLUDE ESTATE SALE AND HOUSEHOLD ITEMS PLUS TOOLS, CLOTHING, FARM, ART, AND ELECTRONICS ITEMS. YOU NAME IT, IT WILL BE THERE ON MAY 16TH!
Buy a parking spot for $10 to sell your wares or stop by on Saturday to shop.
Contact Erica at 406-249-9774 for more info. Buy your spot in advance please!
OVER 53
SPACES
of merchandise to be sold flea market style in one day!