EPA and Columbia Falls Aluminum Company sign $57.6M cleanup agreement

The owner of the long-shuttered Columbia Falls Aluminum Company (CFAC) plant has agreed to pay $57.6 million to clean up toxic pollution from decades of aluminum smelting, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Source: AP News.

The cleanup plan

Under the agreement, CFAC will be responsible for mitigating hazardous byproducts including arsenic, fluoride, and cyanide at the site, which was added to the Superfund National Priorities List about a decade ago Source: AP News. Much of the waste will be consolidated and capped with materials designed to prevent contamination of surrounding soil and water Source: AP News. The fund will also cover past and future response costs incurred by the federal government and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality Source: AP News. The agreement covers about half of the smelting facility's total footprint — the most polluted portion Source: AP News.

Future development

Outside the Superfund boundary, a 78-acre parcel called Teakettle Heights is slated for a 421-unit residential development, including apartments, townhomes, and single-family homes Source: AP News. Due to contamination concerns, the development will tie into city water rather than using groundwater Source: AP News.

Next steps

The 647-page agreement is not yet final. It will undergo a 30-day public comment period and a review by the U.S. District Court in Missoula before official adoption Source: AP News. Cyrus Western, EPA Region 8 administrator, called the deal a "significant milestone" that will facilitate site redevelopment Source: AP News.