City of Bozeman Submits Asbestos Cleanup Proposal

The city of Bozeman has released a cleanup proposal to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) concerning the asbestos contamination at the CMC Asbestos Bozeman State Superfund Site. Now the DEQ is waiting to see the public’s opinion about the current plans and addendum to the 2002 Voluntary Cleanup Plan for the site.

Colleen Owen, who is the DEQ Project Officer, says, “We share the city’s enthusiasm to finalize clean up and the addendum moves the process forward into home stretch.”

The Superfund site, which is located near the Bozeman Public Library, contains large amounts of toxic asbestos ore. Unfortunately, exposure to asbestos has been known to cause several forms of disease, including lung cancer, asbestosis, and malignant mesothelioma. This is why the site has become such a priority for the state of Montana.

Asbestos exposure is also known to cause gastrointestinal cancer and has been linked to colon cancer as well. In most cases, these diseases do not exhibit symptoms for 15 to 50 years after initial asbestos exposure, making them especially difficult to treat and diagnose.

The addendum for the site pertains to properties not included in the first Voluntary Cleanup Plan. These properties are located west of the library and run along South Wallace Avenue. Some of the areas of these sites are heavily contaminated with asbestos ore where it was once stockpiled or used as fill material.

Superfund is a federal government program designed to clean up the nation’s uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. Such sites are placed on the National Priorities List and are cleaned up to protect the environment and health of all citizens.

The new plan involves the excavation of asbestos-contaminated soils near the library, proper asbestos disposal at the Bozeman Landfill, patching and repaving sections along South Wallace Avenue, and long term monitoring of all contaminated properties.

In addition, institutional controls such as a city resolution, modification of the City Street Cut Permit Application, training for city workers, and deed restrictions for properties containing asbestos will be implemented under the new plan.

The complete cost of what is left of the cleanup effort is estimated to be $438,000. Luckily for Bozeman, the DEQ is expected to reimburse the city for a percentage of the cost under the Controlled Allocation of Liability Act.

For more information on asbestos exposure, visit the Mesothelioma Cancer Center.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 at 3:46 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos Legislation, Mesothelioma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.