Lincoln County officials outline debris-removal plan, raise Libby-area asbestos sampling and permitting issues

Lincoln County Commissioner Brent Tesky opened a meeting of county officials, contractors and agency representatives to discuss debris removal and monitoring following heavy storms Dec. 10–11 that dumped runoff and later high winds on the Selkirk Mountains, damaging roads, bridges and leaving woody and construction debris in streams.

"We got an atmospheric river ... estimates are it dumped 5 to seven inches of rain," Tesky said, describing runoff that overwhelmed channels and created infrastructure failures. He told attendees the county will prioritize removing wood and construction debris that could divert flows and threaten roads and subdivisions, but said the scope will depend on what permitting agencies allow.

Why it matters: county staff said removing the most hazardous or infrastructure‑threatening debris now could reduce flood risk during spring runoff. The meeting focused on who will do the work, what materials are removable, and how regulators will oversee sampling and disposal.

A central issue raised at the meeting was legacy vermiculite/asbestos in the Libby area. "Libby was home to a vermiculite mine," Tesky said, noting past W.R. Grace mining left asbestos‑contaminated fill that must be sampled before disturbance or disposal. County staff and Vanessa of ER Assist said Lincoln County’s Asbestos Resource Program (ARP), Montana DEQ and EPA will be involved in sampling, testing and determining whether material can be moved to the county landfill or must go to the landfill’s asbestos cell.

Vanessa clarified procurement language when a contractor asked how invoices would be approved: "That was supposed to be PA administrator and local finance department," she said, correcting the RFP verbiage that had appeared to tie payments to federal approval.

Permitting will shape what work is possible. Jesse Hag, Lincoln County planning director and floodplain administrator, described the joint application used for proposed work in Montana streams and said multiple agencies — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), the U.S. Army Corps (404), DEQ (318) and the State Historic Preservation Office — review projects. "Breaking the permits into appropriate project areas" will likely be necessary, Hag said, since one large Libby‑Creek permit would be difficult to approve.

Contractors asked about training, monitoring and operational details. Attendees were told the level of asbestos/ARP training will depend on the contractor’s role and will be determined with ARP/DEQ; visual inspections by trained monitors will be used to identify suspect material for DEQ testing. The county noted it has drone mapping and a large document cataloging sites (referenced repeatedly as "630 some odd pages") that contractors can review.

Disposal and site processing drew particular attention. County staff said debris would principally go to the identified county landfill, which includes an asbestos cell for contaminated loads, but that temporary debris‑management sites (TDMS) or on‑site grinding/chipping at the landfill could be used if volumes require it. The RFP asks for pricing lines related to operating a debris‑reduction site; county staff said final responsibilities (contractor vs. landfill operations) will be clarified in an addendum.

On right‑of‑entry and private access, Tesky and Hag said much of the affected stream reaches are adjacent to private owners and federal land; contractors will need right‑of‑entry agreements, and who prepares and manages those permits is still to be determined. Tesky indicated the county hopes to limit private access needs to a few property owners by scaling the projects.

Several site specifics were mentioned as priorities for assessment, including West Fisher Creek Road (where about a quarter‑mile of road washed out), Libby Creek reaches and debris lodged near a Port Authority levee failure at the mouth of Libby Creek where DEQ and EPA are working on potentially contaminated ground.

Next steps: county staff said they will issue clarifications and any necessary addenda to the RFP (payment‑term language, list of positions, training cost guidance), schedule field visits for bidders, and continue permitting coordination with FWP, DEQ and federal agencies. Tesky noted a federal disaster declaration had not been received at the time of the meeting and that ARP/DEQ would provide sampling guidance before moving suspect soils or debris.

The meeting closed after roughly an hour and a site visit was planned for interested attendees.