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EPA tells Lincoln County five-year review finds most units protective; ATSDR study expected
Summary
EPA and DEQ briefed Lincoln County commissioners on a third five-year review, reporting that five of eight operable units are partially delisted and that current data indicate remedies are protective; EPA said it will consult ATSDR on disease registry trends and will continue outreach before any partial delistings are finalized.
At the July 16 Lincoln County commissioners meeting, EPA project manager Daniel Zenner told commissioners the agency’s third five-year review found the remediated operable units at the Libby-area Superfund site are protective of human health and the environment based on current data.
"EPA has a lot of operation-maintenance funding available and we're committed to keeping those programs in place for the long term," Zenner said, stressing that partial deletions from the National Priorities List are milestones and do not end long-term monitoring or funding.
Zenner and Beth Archer, EPA community involvement coordinator, summarized the status: five of eight operable units (OUs 1, 2, 5, 6 and 8) have been partially deleted or delisted, while OU3 (the former vermiculite mine) remains in a feasibility-study phase. EPA emphasized that deletion is a milestone and does not affect ongoing operation-and-maintenance work or required five-year reviews.
The agency said it is consulting the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to analyze CARD clinic and public-health registry records from 2000–2025 to look for trends in asbestos-related illness. Zenner said updating the toxicity value used in risk assessments requires a substantial dose–response dataset; in the meantime EPA will pursue risk-management actions such as expanded community outreach, realtor training and improved use of the county’s Asbestos Resource Program (ARP).
Commissioners and EPA staff discussed community concern that partial delisting could be misread as a meaning "the work is done". EPA agreed to prepare targeted outreach materials — fact sheets and website updates — and to test messaging at community venues, including the farmers market, before moving forward with delisting decisions.
Melody Carlds of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and EPA staff also discussed coordination with WR Grace and the U.S. Forest Service on stabilization and fuels-management work near OU3. Nick Reigns of WR Grace offered to organize site tours for commissioners to view stabilization and dam/spillway work on company property.
EPA said it expects additional public meetings and outreach in the fall as ATSDR results and feasibility-study options for OU3 become available. The agency emphasized the public-health emergency declaration will not be lifted until OU3 remedial action is complete and relevant agencies jointly agree on any change in status.
