Asbestos abatement project wrapped up on Lincoln Boulevard

Contractors have completed an asbestos abatement project triggered after construction unearthed W.R. Grace mine tailings and contaminated vermiculite near downtown Libby.

Employees of Thompson Contracting ran into the tailings, which W.R. Grace gave out freely to residents, and the vermiculite while working along East Lincoln Boulevard. The construction work was part of a project tying a sewer line from the Lincoln County Port Authority into Libby’s municipal system, officials said.

“I was really happy that Thompson Contractors contacted us so we worked really well together to make sure the contamination was taken care of safely,” said Virginia Kocieda, director of the Lincoln County Asbestos Resource Program (ARP), during an Oct. 20 commissioners meeting.

Local officials worked with the state Department of Environmental Quality to approve scopes of work for abatement along the boulevard near Michigan and Wisconsin avenues. Kocieda said ARP and DEQ wrote the first scope of work on Sept. 1.

ARP officials then contracted Environmental Restoration, a remediation company with an office in Libby, to dispose of the contaminated soil and the thick poly sheeting used to contain the tainted material.

Contractors also hauled crushed rock to the site to replace the soil and cleaned nearby contamination. Kocieda was unsure how many cubic yards of soil the contactors abated but said that the risk of exposure to residents and workers was minimal. Clean-up efforts were over as of Oct. 15.

Along with the in-town abatement project, ARP and Lincoln County Solid Waste will assist Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) in developing a plan for work along Pipe Creek Road. Roughly three miles north of Libby, state officials intend to widen the roadway, flatten roadside slopes and put in rumble strips.

“[MDT] gave us these plans because they are going to have an enormous amount of soil excavated and potentially needing disposal of,” said Kocieda.

Officials plan to run 30 tests for every 1,000 cubic yard stretch to ensure the soil is clean. If a test reveals contamination, officials will dispose of the soil in the Lincoln County Class IV Landfill. The state would foot the bill for the tests, according to Kocieda.

Recently, ARP officials completed a planned removal of contaminated soil at a property in Troy. Officials are waiting for a scope of work for another project in Troy from DEQ before beginning abatement.

An ongoing vermiculite removal project along Mineral Avenue in Libby was a third of the way complete as of the Oct. 20 meeting. A property owner on Michigan Avenue is seeking contractors to complete insulation removal. Kocieda said once the property owner received three quotes, ARP would check with DEQ to ensure the state agency would reimburse the work.

In August and September, ARP received 61 hotline calls, the majority of which came from Libby. The program reviewed 186 utility locate tickets and performed 53 site visits during the two-month period.