EPA cleans up one more 'clean' site

Vermiculite unearthed at nursery property

The Environmental Protection Agency acted quickly last week to clean up asbestos contamination unearthed at another site in Libby that previously had been cleaned with oversight from the federal agency.

Mel and Lerah Parker, owners of the now-defunct Raintree Nursery that operated on land where W.R. Grace screened and loaded vermiculite ore from its Libby mine, were having work done Aug. 5 on a water line on the north side of their property when an excavator dug up dirt that contained vermiculite tailings.

Vermiculite from the former Grace mine contains toxic asbestos that has been linked to widespread death and disease in Libby.

It's the second time this summer that contamination has been found on sites the EPA previously cleaned. In June, contaminated soil was found during water-line work at the former export site for the mine.

The Parkers said they believed their site had been excavated and back-filled with clean dirt during EPA cleanup three years ago.

"We were on pins and needles," Lerah Parker said.

On Aug. 6, the couple called Paul Lammers of CDM, the firm hired to conduct engineering and construction oversight services for Libby asbestos cleanup. He met with the Parkers on Monday and by Wednesday morning a crew was hauling away contaminated material.

"They completely put a new water line in and removed three 10-yard loads of contaminated soil, I believe," Lerah Parker said. "They did a really good job. They did more than they needed to and we really appreciate that."

According to the EPA, clean fill previously had been put in around the water line during cleanup a couple of years ago, but the excavation to the line last week came in at an angle, pushing through a geotextile barrier and coming in contact with disturbed contaminated soil.

"They went below the cap and encountered contamination," EPA remedial project manager Peggy Churchill said.

Such encounters with contaminated soil on cleanup sites are not uncommon, she said.

The EPA had hired Maryland-based MARCOR Remediation Inc. to clean the site and contaminated soil was removed to a depth of 18 to 24 inches throughout the 21-acre site. In some areas the fill was deeper, depending on what soil samples showed.

MARCOR also did some work on water lines where connections were made to an existing line. While the Parkers contend there were later water-pressure problems because of poor workmanship, a MARCOR spokesman said the company isn't aware of any complaints on the project.

Churchill said the EPA has some recourse in dealing with faulty contractor work, but it's often easier for the government simply to open a new contract for further work.

"To reopen a contract after it's done isn't as easy as just having them come back and fix the problem," Churchill said, acknowledging there were "issues" with water pressure and connections at the nursery site.

The Parkers also questioned why several large rocks were found while excavating last week. Cleanup specifications for fill dirt call for no materials larger than four inches. One of the rocks contained vermiculite that had been chipped off, they said.

Churchill said agency photographs show most of the rocks in question were left above ground next to a tree. A few larger rocks were buried about two feet deep to get them out of the way and to help stabilize the soil around the water pipe, officials said.

IT'S BEEN six years since the Parkers were moved off their land and forced to abandon a thriving nursery business. The federal government finally gave them a notice of availability to reclaim their land in mid-June, but the Parkers have not yet accepted the offer.

And the latest bout with contaminated soil makes them leery of living on the site once again.

"They need to guarantee us a clean site," Lerah Parker said. "We're nervous about building an expensive home there" if contamination continues to surface.

Churchill said the EPA's ultimate goal is to get the Parkers back on their land.

"Looking back, maybe we would've done some things differently," she said, "But we need to move forward now and get them back on their property."

Mel Parker said the incident raises the question about cleanup efforts in general in Libby.

"The problem is that there's so much cleanup and people are signing off on it, then don't know how to treat the stuff" if they come in contact with it. Homeowners digging in lawns that have been cleaned is a good example, he said.

IN EARLY June, extensive asbestos contamination was found during water-line work at the former export site for the mine, a site that had been cleaned twice with EPA oversight. That discovery prompted Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., to demand an independent investigation of the EPA.

Burns press secretary Matt Mackowiak said the EPA is still completing a report about its cleanup process in Libby. The federal agency also told Burns that a compliance staffer would be hired for even more oversight.

Mackowiak also said the senator views EPA staffer Paul Peronard's return to Libby as "a real positive" turn of events. Peronard guided the EPA and Libby through early cleanup efforts as the emergency on-scene coordinator until 2002. He returned Aug. 1 as EPA team leader for the Superfund project in Libby.

Burns is traveling to Libby for Lincoln County's annual "Dream It. Do It!" economic development conference and plans to meet with local representatives Tuesday morning to talk about asbestos cleanup.

Peronard is scheduled to meet with the Parkers, also Tuesday morning, to get an overview of last week's contamination discovery.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.