Federal Agency Delists Former Superfund Site In Montana

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it is removing a portion of a former wood-treatment facility in Montana from its list of Superfund sites, despite concerns.

The agency and the state Department of Environmental Quality determined all the required cleanup of the facility is complete and no additional work is needed to protect human health and the environment in the area, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported Monday.

The Idaho Pole Company operated the facility near Cedar Street until 1997 and contributed to soil and groundwater contamination, officials said. It was designated a Superfund site in 1986.

The Gallatin City-County Board of Health and the Gallatin Local Water Quality District have repeatedly voiced concerns and have said the federal agency did not adequately work with local government officials to ensure redevelopment is safe.

The board of health and the water quality district did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

A 20-page document detailing the testing, data analysis and public outreach that was done over the last several years was also released, EPA project manager Roger Hoogerheide said.

The EPA expects to continue evaluating the Idaho Pole site every five years to ensure it remains clean, even with the partial delisting, officials said.