EPA and Montana DEQ Announce Cleanup Plan for Columbia Falls Aluminum Company Superfund Site

EPA and Montana DEQ Announce Cleanup Plan for Columbia Falls Aluminum Company Superfund Site

Record of Decision document follows extensive public engagement, details actions to protect human health and the environment

January 10, 2025

Columbia Falls, Mont. - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) jointly announced a formalized plan for the Superfund cleanup of the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company (CFAC) Superfund site in Columbia Falls, Montana. This document, known as a Record of Decision (ROD), represents a significant milestone in ongoing efforts to address contamination at the site and ensure the long-term health and safety of the community and environment.

"This cleanup plan reflects years of collaboration and is a crucial step in finalizing a comprehensive set of cleanup actions that will protect the health of the community and the environment," said EPA Regional Administrator K.C. Becker. "In partnership with Montana DEQ and the Columbia Falls community leaders, we have worked to ensure public participation and transparency throughout the process. We are moving forward now to get the cleanup underway, protect the Flathead River, and move towards a safer, healthier future for everyone who calls the Columbia Falls area home."

"DEQ's highest priority, for any Superfund site in Montana, is that the selected remedy be protective of human health and the environment," said DEQ Director Sonja Nowakowski. "We are confident that the plan announced today will meet those criteria, and DEQ will work with stakeholders and the EPA to ensure that the cleanup is successfully implemented."

The ROD, released today, marks a transition from the investigative phase to the cleanup implementation stage at the site, informed by years of comprehensive scientific research and active public engagement in coordination with DEQ. The ROD establishes a framework for future cleanup actions to protect the Flathead River and reduce risks to the Columbia Falls community and environment.

EPA and DEQ will now work to finalize a consent decree with the potentially responsible parties, ensuring cleanup actions proceed as planned. This consent decree will include a comprehensive statement of work and will be open for public comment before finalizing. EPA and DEQ estimate that the actual cleanup activities, once initiated, will take two to four years to complete.

Both agencies are committed to working closely with the community throughout the cleanup process. Efforts to engage the public have included information sessions, fact sheets, online updates, one-on-one discussions, and attendance at local community events. EPA also provided the community with a technical assistance advisor through the Technical Assistance Services for Communities program to help residents better understand the technical issues and documents associated with the Proposed Plan.

The Record of Decision and supporting documents are available for public access at the ImaginIF Library, 130 6th St. W, Columbia Falls, MT, and on the EPA's CFAC Superfund Site webpage. The public can also find the ROD and related materials on the EPA's CFAC Superfund Site webpage.

Read the letter of supportfor this action from MT DEQ.

Nolan Lister, MT DEQ Public Information Officer: [email protected] or 406-444-6469