Montana Governor joins the fight to put the abandoned Columbia Falls site in the Superfund List

The long shuttered Columbia Falls Aluminium Co. is in the running to be on the Superfund National Priorities List with support from Gov. Steve Bullock.

Superfund is the federal environment program that is especially reserved for the cleanup of abandoned, hazardous waste site. The Environment Protection Agency had recognized the 120-acre site as a valid Superfund contender but wanted to take public opinion before proceeding with it.

The site was first operated by Anaconda Co. who started an aluminium plant way back in 1955. After which it has changed many hands the last of which was Glencore who closed the plant in 2009.

Toxic elements from the site like cyanide, arsenic, lead and fluoride polluting the groundwater in and around the site according an EPA study.

"I am concerned that if this issue remains unaddressed, the contamination from the site is serious enough to pose long-term risks to the community and to Montana's environment, including the Flathead River," Bullock wrote Tuesday, adding that there is widespread local support for the listing and eventual cleanup.

In a letter by Bullock to EPA regional administrator Shaun McGrath states, "The plant was a critical part of the economy of Columbia Falls and the site has been idle for too long. It has tremendous potential for redevelopment and will be an important anchor in the future of the region."