DEQ completes stabilization of Libby Creek bank damaged in December floods

Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Lincoln County Asbestos Resource Program and their contractors recently completed the stabilization of a Libby Creek bank damaged by severe flooding in December.

Contractors Weston Solutions and Olympus Technical Services wrapped up construction Aug. 3 and demobilized equipment. Initially estimated to cost approximately $1.2 million, the project was completed for less than $500,000. The state is seeking Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement for portions of the project.

In early December, an atmospheric river carrying massive amounts of moisture swept across the Pacific Northwest. It brought with it warmer temperatures and deposited more than 12 inches of rain in some portions of the Cabinet Mountains on Dec. 11. The heavy rain and snow melt caused upward of tens of millions of dollars in damages across the region, according to Lincoln County Disaster and Emergency Services officials at the time.

The damage included the significant destabilization of a Libby Creek bank located on the Lincoln County Port Authority property, adjacent the Champion Haul Road. That portion of the creek bank was remediated in August 2009 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to replace rock and soil contaminated with Libby amphibole asbestos.

As part of the project to repair the bank, the contractors placed more than 1,300 cubic yards of large rocks or geotextile fabric for erosion control in two sections of the creek bank, graded the top of the bank, and reseeded the area with native grass and wildflowers. Additionally, new signage and traffic control features were installed to keep people out of the area while new plantings take hold.

In response to the flood, DEQ and contractors are also surveying private property with property owners’ consent for any contamination that may have been deposited on their land by the flood waters.

DEQ and its contractors have conducted 56 visual inspections of private yards after the flood. Of the 56 yards inspected, 27 were determined to need sampling and 36 require additional review. If deemed necessary, DEQ will cover the cost of removing contaminated materials from private yards and replacing it with clean backfill.

This effort requires the cooperation of private landowners, as crews need permission to survey private land. Those in need of a survey are encouraged to reach out to Lincoln County Asbestos Resource Program.