Montana DEQ issued an emergency permit for removing asbestos containing materials inside and outside the school. The property was closed to students and clean up began immediately within the school property lines. However, there were no local resources available to conduct the clean up of the properties outside the school property lines.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality requested EPA support on January 12, 2026. EPA deployed an On-Scene Coordinator on January 13, 2026.

The objective of this response is to mitigate potential asbestos exposure to the community resulting from the school roof incident. 

Asbestos removal activities will be performed with a strong emphasis on safety and exposure prevention. The following safety practices will be implemented on-site to protect personnel, homeowners, and the surrounding community throughout handling, transport, and disposal operations:

• All workers will be in proper personal protective equipment.
• All workers have stop work authority for safety issues recognized on site.
• EPA personnel and contractors will be especially cautious about slips, trips and falls.
• Safety protocols are in place for operating heavy machinery and navigating around active heavy machinery; including radio for each piece of equipment and each person in the designated hot zone
• Weather-related events, such as heat and cold stress and strong winds, will be closely watched.

For homeowners and the broader community, the main risk from asbestos is from inhaling airborne asbestos. To avoid exposure, please read the best management practices below:

• Clean using wet rags or a mop and a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuum. Only HEPA vacuums have small enough filters to catch asbestos particles, regular vacuums can spread contamination. 
•  Use doormats 
• Remove shoes before entering your home 
• Keep windows closed on windy days 
• Avoid dust
• Use water to wet soil before gardening, landscaping, or team sports events
• Wash hands after working outside in the soil
• Spray your patio with water instead of sweeping it 
• Stay on pavement or ground covered with grass or mulch

The objectives for this operational period are the following:

1. Safely mobilize crews and equipment to the site.

2. Assess extent of asbestos containing material released at the site.

3. Obtain access agreements at the relevant properties around the school.

4. Obtain access agreements to conduct work at the impacted county roadways.

5. Begin clean up of county road ways and residential properties impacted by asbestos containing roof material.

Please check back here under, "notices", at the end of the operational period for an update on site accomplishments and any obstacles experienced.

There is a stop work order in place due to high winds. 

The main risk from asbestos is from inhaling airborne asbestos. Follow best management practices below to minimize potential exposure: 

• Clean using wet rags or a mop and a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuum. Only HEPA vacuums have small enough filters to catch asbestos particles, regular vacuums can spread contamination. 
• Use doormats 
• Remove shoes before entering your home 
• Keep windows closed on windy days 
• Avoid dust 
• Use water to wet soil before gardening, landscaping, or team sports events 
• Wash hands after working outside in the soil
• Spray your patio with water instead of sweeping it 
• Stay on pavement or ground covered with grass or mulch 

There is a stop work order in place due to high winds. Materials and equipment on site have been stabilized. 

The main risk from asbestos is from inhaling airborne asbestos. Follow best management practices to reduce risk of exposure. 

The status of the objectives for this operational period are the following:

1. Safely mobilize crews and equipment to the site. 
EPA, START, and ERRS mobilized to the site and began work.  A safety stand down occurred on January 15 - 16 due to high winds.  Work continued on January 17.  

2. Assess extent of asbestos containing material released at the site.
Assessments were conducted at properties around the school, using a subject matter expert in vermiculite contamination.  The northern and western boundaries of contamination have been identified.  

3. Obtain access agreements at the relevant properties around the school.
Consent for access was obtained at 19 properties around the school, 13 of those properties will require a removal action.  

4. Obtain access agreements to conduct work at the impacted county roadways.
EPA received permission to conduct removal work at the impacted county roadways and right of ways.  

5. Begin clean up of county road ways and residential properties impacted by asbestos containing roof material.
Due to the asbestos landfill being closed on weekends, removal of contaminated soil and roadways did not begin during this operational period, but is planned to begin during the next operational period.  

The objectives for this operational period are the following:

1. Begin removal of contaminated soil and roadways, beginning adjacent to the school.  

2. Determine the extent of observed asbestos contamination, defining the boundaries of the project.   

3. Obtain consent for access at the impacted properties around the school.

4. Maintain communications with the public, and hold two public Office Hours to update the residents and answer any questions that they may have

Please check back here under, "notices", at the end of the operational period for an update on site accomplishments and any obstacles experienced.

The status of the objectives for this operational period are the following:

1. Begin removal of contaminated soil and roadways, beginning adjacent to the school.  
Road apron on S Clark St between 2nd and 3rd Ave S has been abated and replaced with clean gravel.  Contaminated soil around Methodist Church is undergoing abatement.  

2. Determine the extent of observed asbestos contamination, defining the boundaries of the project.   
The extent of observed asbestos is nearly determined, with one block of road left to evaluate.  Snowfall on 1/23 and 1/24 inhibited the ability to visually confirm presence of asbestos contaminated material on roadways.  

3. Obtain consent for access at the impacted properties around the school.
18 property owners granted consent for access to visually confirm presence of vermiculite, 13 of those properties had vermiculite contamination.  12 of the property owners with vermiculite agreed to have their yard remediated, one did not wish to remediate their yard.  Four property owners denied EPA consent for access to perform a visual inspection, and the EPA is still waiting for a response from 4 homeowners for consent.  

4. Maintain communications with the public, and hold two public Office Hours to update the residents and answer any questions that they may have.
EPA and DEQ held two public Office Hours on Jan 22. and Jan 23. EPA answered questions from community members regarding their yards and the cleanup objectives.  EPA was interviewed by local TV journalist and provided written answers to questions from local print journalists.

Site operations will continue to occur weekly from Monday - Saturday.  

A partial safety standdown occurred on 1/20 due to high winds, and a full safety stand down occurred on 1/23 due to cold temperatures and high winds.  

The objectives for this operational period are the following:

1. Continue removal of contaminated soil and roadways, beginning adjacent to the school.  

2. Finalize the extent of observed asbestos contamination, defining the boundaries of the project; this will be dependent on snow melt which should happen mid-week.   

3. Obtain consent for access at the impacted properties around the school.

4. Coordinate with impacted homeowners.  Agree and sign a proposed work plan for residential properties to be remediated.  

5. Communicate with adjacent properties and notify residents about potential impacts, such as closed alleyways, or easement remediations.

Please check back here under, "notices", at the end of the operational period for an update on site accomplishments and any obstacles experienced.

The status of the objectives for this operational period are the following:

1. Continue removal of contaminated soil and roadways, beginning adjacent to the school.

Yard removal operations continued on yards adjacent to the school on Clark Street. Soil backfill operations began once yard removals were completed and a final walkthrough was conducted on each property.

2. Finalize the extent of observed asbestos contamination, defining the boundaries of the project; this will be dependent on snow melt which should happen mid-week.

EPA implemented a secondary screening method on properties and roadways where vermiculite was identified.  This secondary screening helped determine severity of vermiculite dispersion.  Secondary assessments began on 1/29/26 and concluded by 1/31/26. Snow melted from most properties by 12/28/26. 

3. Obtain consent for access at the impacted properties around the school.

Consent for access has been obtained for properties where EPA has conducted secondary assessments and where removal activities are planned to occur.

4. Coordinate with impacted homeowners.  Agree and sign a proposed work plan for residential properties to be remediated.  

EPA continued to meet, discuss, and sign workplans on properties where cleanups are scheduled to occur in upcoming operational periods.

5. Communicate with adjacent properties and notify residents about potential impacts, such as closed alleyways, or easement remediations.

EPA continued to communicate with property owners and notify about EPA work operations and impacts.

Site operations will continue to occur weekly from Monday - Saturday.  A partial safety standdown occurred on 1/31 due to high winds.  

The objectives for this operational period are the following:

1. Continue removal of contaminated soil and roadways, beginning adjacent to the school, and moving outward targeting areas of observed vermiculite deposition. 

2. Continue backfilling and replacing removed materials with clean backfill.

3. Implement alternative removal strategies on properties and road aprons where vermiculite was observed, but at lower concentrations.  Alternative strategies include vacuum removal, targeted garden/flowerbed removal, and removal of vermiculite from accumulation areas.

4. Continued to coordinate with impacted homeowners.  Agree and sign a proposed work plan for residential properties to be remediated.  

5. Communicate with adjacent properties and notify residents about potential impacts, such as closed alleyways, or easement remediations.

Please check back here under, "notices", at the end of the operational period for an update on site accomplishments and any obstacles experienced.

Sustained high winds resulted in a partial safety stand down order for EPA's soil excavation activities. EPA stabilized and stockpiled materials in place. Other work activities such as backfilling, that did not involve moving potentially contaminated soil, continued.

The main risk from asbestos is from inhaling airborne asbestos. Follow best management practices to minimize potential exposure listed on our "site safety" notice. 

The status of the objectives for this operational period are the following:

1. Continue removal of contaminated soil and roadways, beginning adjacent to the school, and moving outward targeting areas of observed vermiculite deposition. 

Yard removal operations continued on yards adjacent to the school on Clark Street moving to the south. Scrapes continued on county ROW including certain alley segments.

2. Continue backfilling and replacing removed materials with clean backfill.

Soil backfill operations were completed on properties adjacent to the school on Clark Street. Hydroseed application for erosion control occurred on these properties on 2/6 and 2/7. EPA continued to backfill as yard removals were completed and an inspection was conducted on each property. 

3. Implement alternative removal strategies on properties and road aprons where vermiculite was observed, but at lower concentrations.  Alternative strategies include vacuum removal, targeted garden/flowerbed removal, and removal of vermiculite from accumulation areas.

EPA implemented a combination of removal strategies on impacted properties on 1st Street SE or 3rd Avenue SE.

4. Continued to coordinate with impacted homeowners.  Agree and sign a proposed work plan for residential properties to be remediated.   

EPA continued to meet, discuss, and sign workplans on properties where cleanups are scheduled to occur in upcoming operational periods. EPA will be conducting final walkthroughs with property owners next week about completed work.

5. Communicate with adjacent properties and notify residents about potential impacts, such as closed alleyways, or easement remediations.

EPA continued to communicate with property owners and notify about EPA work operations and impacts.

Site operations will continue to occur weekly from Monday - Saturday.  A partial safety standdown occurred on 2/2 due to high winds.  

The objectives for this operational period are the following:

1. Continue removal of contaminated soil and roadways.

2. Continue backfilling and replacing removed materials with clean backfill.

3. Coordinate with impacted homeowners. Conduct walkthroughs with residents to discuss removal strategy for each affected property.

4. Communicate with adjacent properties and notify residents about potential impacts, such as closed alleyways, or easement remediations.

5. Mobilize additional resources and begin 7 days a week operations with extended hours to perform additional removal activities during the upcoming favorable weather pattern.

1. Continue removal of contaminated soil and roadways.

Yard removal operations continued at yards impacted by the release along 1st St SE moving to the south. Scrapes continued on county ROW including certain alley segments.

2. Continue backfilling and replacing removed materials with clean backfill.

Soil backfill operations were completed on properties where a removal action was conducted. Hydroseed application for erosion control occurred at these properties on 2/15. EPA continued to backfill as yard removals were completed.

3. Coordinate with impacted homeowners. Conduct walkthroughs with residents to discuss removal strategy for each affected property.

EPA continued to meet and discuss on properties where cleanups were scheduled to occur within the operational period. EPA began conducting final walkthroughs with property owners once work was completed at affected properties. Final walkthroughs will continue into the next operational period as removals are completed at affected properties.

4. Communicate with adjacent properties and notify residents about potential impacts, such as closed alleyways, or easement remediations.

EPA continued to communicate with property owners and notify about EPA work operations and impacts.

5. Mobilize additional resources and begin 7 days a week operations with extended hours to perform additional removal activities during the upcoming favorable weather pattern.

Additional resources and personnel were mobilized to perform additional removal activities.

The objectives for this operational period are the following:

1. Complete removal of contaminated soil and roadways.

2. Complete backfilling and replacing removed materials with clean backfill.

3. Coordinate with impacted homeowners. Conduct post-removal walkthroughs with residents at each affected property after backfill is complete.

4. Continue communication and notify residents about potential impacts, such as closed alleyways, or easement remediations.

5. Begin to scale down operations and demobilize resources and equipment as removal actions are completed at affected properties and county ROWs.

1. Complete removal of contaminated soil and roadways.

All removals of affected properties and roadways were completed.

2. Complete backfilling and replacing removed materials with clean backfill.

All backfill activities have been completed. Applications of hydroseed will occur during the next favorable weather window.

3. Coordinate with impacted homeowners. Conduct post-removal walkthroughs with residents at each affected property after backfill is complete.

All post-removal walkthroughs with residents have been completed. Minor repairs of sprinkler systems and applications of hydroseed will performed into the following week as weather allows.

4. Continue communication and notify residents about potential impacts, such as closed alleyways, or easement remediations.

All alleyways, roadways, and easements are open and backfilled after removal of contamination.

5. Begin to scale down operations and demobilize resources and equipment as removal actions are completed at affected properties and county ROWs.

A majority of resources and equipment have been demobilized after completion of the removal action. Final demobilization of all equipment and personnel will continue into the following week. 

The objectives for this operational period are as follows:

1. Complete sprinkler system adjustments as needed.

2. Complete application of hydroseed at remaining properties.

3. Safely demobilize remaining crew and equipment.

1. Complete sprinkler system adjustments as needed.

All sprinkler systems impacted by the EPA Removal Team have been reset and adjusted.

2. Complete application of hydroseed at remaining properties.

Hydroseed has been applied to all the backfilled areas, both on private properties and public rights of ways.

3. Safely demobilize remaining crew and equipment.

All team members and equipment has been successfully demobilized from the site.

The team has successfully mitigated the exposure to asbestos containing vermiculite in Park City by removing impacted soils and rights of ways. The team demobilized from the site on Wednesday, February 25.

A second, smaller mobilization is planned for May 2026 to oversee a second application of hydroseed at the affected homes. Information about that mobilization will be posted here, on the notices section of this website.