Superior considers Superfund status

Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency met with the Superior Town Council Monday evening to talk with them about the possibility of Superior becoming a Superfund site.

The EPA, along with the Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Forest Service have been looking at options to clean up mine leftovers, or “tailings” in and around the Fish Creek area.

EPA representative Gwen Christiansen said that becoming a Superfund site would mean that the federal-funded Superfund program would pay to remove potentially dangerous heavy metal mine tailings from affected areas.

All of the tailings of concern were brought into the Superior area from mines in the Flat Creek area that were built in the early 1800s.

Christiansen said that the mine tailings from the Flat Creek area are most likely not an immediate health risk, but there may be mine tailings in the town that were brought in with contaminated fill dirt. Many people used the tailings to fill in driveways and other areas.

In 2002, there the EPA conducted an emergency clean-up of potential health risks, including replacing the track at Superior High School, which was built with contaminated fill-dirt.

Now, after a settlement with ASAR Co., the company that owned the mines up Flat Creek and filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in 2005, the Forest Service, EPA and DEQ are looking to clean up other areas that have mine tailings in them.

Superior District Ranger Sharon Sweeney said at a meeting with Mineral County Commissioners that while the tailings may have settled in the past and appear not to be a health risk, rains, fire or high water events could disrupt the tailings, pushing the heavy-metals they contain into areas where they could affect people.

Christiansen said that the greatest risk in the town of Superior is areas with contaminated fill dirt. If children play near there they could potentially ingest the heavy metals that have health risks.

At the Superior Town Council meeting Monday, Christiansen, Director of the Montana EPA office in Helena John Wardell and Community Involvement Coordinator Peggy Linn spoke with town council members about what is necessary to get the area on the Superfund List and what implications it could have for the town.

Christiansen said that this is a big decision that people should not take lightly, however she feels it is a realistic and manageable way to fund the cleanup.

Town council member Doug Cummings asked if the listing would lower property values for people in town.

Wardell said that while some property values may lower during the actual cleanup, after Superfund cleanup most homes experience an increase in property value because of the cleanup.

He added that the town council should talk to other communities, like East Helena, Anaconda and Butte, which have gone through the Superfund process for more insight into what would happen.

Linn said that if the area was approved for Superfund, community involvement would be essential to making the project work.

“As soon as this is listed, someone like myself would come around and do a community involvement plan,” she explained. “That is to lay out for everybody how we’re going to communicate to you. We’ll do interviews and talk to people in the public and other stake holders and find out concerns and issues because this cleanup is for you guys, it’s not for us.”

She said that there would likely be interviews and public comment long before any work began on the project.

“It’s important to get out there before a lot of the work starts so we know what the concerns are and what issues the community has,” Linn said.

According to Linn, if the site is approved for Superfund then there is a grant available to hire a full-time employee to help with organizing and interpreting documents.

Linn said that the most important part of the process is that the community stays involved.

“I know communities that never say anything and I think it’s great when communities really get involved and take an active role,” Linn said.

In order for the process to be finalized, the city, the DEQ, and Gov. Brian Schweitzer will need to write letters to get Superior onto the National Priorities List.

Christiansen said that there is plenty of time to decide, and the entire process is done on a six month rotating schedule so they can always try again on the next six month cycle, but if the site is to be listed, a letter from Schweitzer will be essential.