LIBBY — Another part of Libby got a clean bill of health from the US Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday with the successful cleanup of a popular park certified.
The cleanup of Libby Riverfront Park marks the second time in two years the EPA has deleted a portion of the Libby Asbestos Superfund site from the National Priorities List, following more than 20-years of testing and decontamination.
Libby had been divided into eight operational units to handle the contamination from decades of vermiculite mining by W-R Grace.
The EPA announced Tuesday that Operable Unit 1 is now off the list. That's the site of the former Export Plant, where the materials were loaded onto trains for export.
Cleanup there was finished five years ago and today it's Riverfront Park, a popular site for picnics, weddings and other community gatherings.
The total cleaned site encompasses 17-acres, including the embankments along Highway 37.
The determination means no further action is needed at the site to protect human health and the environment.
