Fish and wildlife concerns cited in Superfund comments

The 60-day public comment period for the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to put the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. site on the federal Superfund’s National Priorities List ended May 25.

In his letter to the EPA, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks director Jeff Hagener did not state whether he wanted the CFAC site put on the list, but he outlined a number of concerns his agency has over potential impacts to fish and wildlife.

Ample evidence exists in EPA reports that the CFAC smelter emitted fluoride and other contaminants over surrounding lands for many years, and that threats of contamination to groundwater and surface water has been identified, Hagener said.

“The Flathead River and Cedar Creek support robust fish populations, including the federally threatened bull trout and a state species of concern, the westslope cutthroat trout,” he said. “Fish in these waters also provide angling opportunities, and some fish are harvested for consumption.”

While the exact threats to aquatic and human life by contaminants from CFAC were unknown, “peer-reviewed literature and previous sampling in Montana demonstrate these contaminants are likely to have lethal and sub-lethal effects,” Hagener said. “The contaminants may also have serious human health implications for those consuming fish from these waters.”

Hagener also discussed the potential effects of the contaminants on wildlife. The abundance of wildlife near CFAC results from “the nexus of two large mountain ranges, the confluence of three forks of the Flathead River, and the diversity of habitat in this particular area,” he said.

He acknowledged that “it is currently unknown if CFAC contaminants are found in wildlife species or if they present a health risk to wildlife populations or to people who consume harvest wildlife,” but FWP “urges the responsible parties and regulators to assess the level of contaminants from past activities.”

Sampling of vegetation and soils “should be widespread and beyond CFAC ownership boundaries, as wildlife moves to and from this area on a seasonal basis,” Hagener said.

Hagener said FWP will support a remediation process that assesses and remediates contamination on CFAC land and other affected properties “so they can be used safely by the public,” removes any risk to fish and wildlife and/or public health, and maintains recreational opportunities on both private and public lands into the future.

The United Steelworkers also sent a comment to the EPA about putting the CFAC site on the Superfund list that focused on contamination that could affect fish and wildlife. The production workers at CFAC were members of the Steelworkers union.

“As a labor union, we understand that safe communities and safe workplaces go hand in hand,” United Steelworkers District 1 director Emil Ramirez said. “We have a long history of advocating for cleaning up work places from toxic releases on behalf of our members who work in smelters and live in surrounding communities.”

The Steelworkers compared hazardous releases from CFAC to those at comparable smelter plants that formerly existed in The Dalles, Ore., and Goldendale, Wash. The information came from public sources but was self-reported by the smelting companies.

“Unless this site is listed on the Superfund National Priority List, it is not likely to be remediated to the level it deserves,” the Steelworkers commented. “Therefore, USW strongly supports including it on the NPL to ensure that it is adequately investigated and eventually cleaned up to a condition that is safe for humans, protective of wildlife and supportive of sustainable economic goals.”