EPA Changing its approach

The EPA has put on hold remediation of trace amounts of vermiculite found on properties of newer homes, the agency officials told Lincoln County Commissioners last week.

The EPA, which has been in Libby since December 1999 and remediating homes for about 10 years, is changing its approach to vermiculite cleanup.

“If we’re finding a trace amount in a flower bed and the same in a gravel driveway of a newer home, we’re not going to (remediate) that home right now,” said Mike Cirian, the EPA’s on-site remedial project manager.

“We’re working smarter. We’re not saying we’re not going to do those homes, we’re just saying we’re not going to do them just yet. We’re going to wait for the scientists to tell us whether we need to do those,” Cirian said.

Cirian told commissoiners the frequency in which vermiculite differs widely, and finding it on propery long after the W.R. Grave mine was closed is causing the agency to look at other sources, like from greenery purchased at plant stores or those big-box stores.

“My wife came home with a bag of potting soil she and said, ‘look right here on the bag. It says this contains vermiculite. This has the stuff you are cleaning up,’” Cirian said quoting his wife.

Cirian said the cleanup tactic does not reflect a change in policy, but another look at the process.

“It’s more of a change in approach than anything,” he said.

Cirian told Commissioners the agency has remediated about 1,600 of the 1,800 homes it has on its original list, and then the agency will continue to seek homes whose owners originally denied access.

“We’re going to continue with our neighborhood approach,” Cirian said. “

Cirian was accompanied in the presentation to Commissioners by Rebecca Thomas, Remedial Project Manager for District 8, and he made the comments during the EPA’s monthly update to Commissioners.

“We’re finding it (vermiculite) in places where (and when) there was no mining operation,” Thomas said.

“We’re not sure whether we should continue in these places where there is only trace amounts,” she said. “As we’re approaching the end of the list, we may take a look at these later. It all depends on the risk assessment.”