It will be a year, and possibly longer, before Black Eagle is declared a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Tests revealed that 375 homes have elevated levels of lead and arsenic. The source of the contamination is the old ARCO refinery and smelter, which ceased copper-smelting operations in 1980.
But an EPA Superfund coordinator in Denver says the contamination does not appear to be severe enough to mandate an emergency, adding that by next spring, the agency will decide whether to propose the site for the Superfund list, setting up a possible final decision by the fall.
(November 24, 2009) Back in September, we reported that Governor Brian Schweitzer would be nominating Black Eagle for federal Superfund status, and today, the Governor made it official.
In July, the Black Eagle community voiced its concerns about contamination from the former ARCo smelter during a meeting with the MT DEQ, the EPA, and ARCO.
A few weeks later the Cascade County Commission asked the governor to make the federal request.
A superfund designation would help bring the resources and money needed to clean 375 residences that have been contaminated with lead and arsenic.
As part of the request, the Governor asked the EPA to consider training local residents for employment in the cleanup, saying, "There is no better way to improve the environment than by putting Montanans to work in our restoration economy. We estimate that at least 31 jobs and nearly $2.6 million come back to the local economy for every $1 million spent on environmental cleanup and restoration in Montana."
If the EPA accepts the listing proposal, Black Eagle could be added to the National Priority List within the next 6 months.
Click here to read the Governor's letter (new window, PDF).
(from July 7, 2009) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted testing in Black Eagle over a period of two years and is concerned about lead and arsenic in the soil. The levels are not high enough to prompt immediate health risks, but the EPA believes that further investigation is needed.
That could require designating 78 acres of Black Eagle - including 375 properties - as a Superfund site. Residents can voice their concerns next week during a community meeting. Alicia Thompson of the City-County Health Department said, "This community meeting...is specifically for the Black Eagle community...for the purpose of making sure that this is what Black Eagle wants."
Some residents have expressed concern that a Superfund designation could hurt home prices in the area. But the EPA said that it's not the designation, but rather the discovery of the problem, that causes such a decline. In fact, the EPA said that making this a Superfund site could actually help home prices, indicating that it would be a sign to the real estate market that this area will be cleaned up.
The public meeting will held on Tuesday, July 14th, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Black Eagle Community Center. All Black Eagle residents and business owners are encouraged to attend.
