U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY POLLUTION/SITUATION REPORT Blackfeet Asbestos, TCE and Lead-based Paint Project Site - Removal Polrep Initial Removal Polrep UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Region VIII
Subject:	POLREP #1 Initial Blackfeet Asbestos, TCE and Lead-based Paint Project Site A894 Browning, MT Latitude: 48.9358810 Longitude: -113.0261580
To:
From:	Curtis Kimbel, OSC
Date:	8/23/2013
Reporting Period:	8/19/13 to 8/23/13
1. Introduction   1.1 Background     Site Number: A894    Contract Number:   D.O. Number:      Action Memo Date: 8/9/2013 Response Authority: CERCLA    Response Type: Time-Critical Response Lead: EPA    Incident Category: Removal Action NPL Status: Non NPL    Operable Unit: Mobilization Date: 8/19/2013    Start Date: 8/19/2013 Demob Date:      Completion Date:   CERCLIS ID:    RCRIS ID: ERNS No.:    State Notification: FPN#:    Reimbursable Account #: 1.1.1 Incident Category 1.1.2 Site Description   The Blackfeet Asbestos Site (Site) is located primarily in the small rural community of Browning, Montana, on the Blackfeet Reservation. The primary land uses in the area are agricultural, recreational and residential. The Blackfeet Tribe requested assistance from the EPA with demolition of several abandoned structures known to contain asbestos. The Tribe also requested the EPA characterize environmental conditions of several additional abandoned structures and demolish any that are a known threat to human health or the environment. All of the buildings are tribally owned and located on the Blackfeet Reservation. All of the structures have been vandalized and scavenged by unknown persons. The EPA's Brownfields Program utilized the Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team (START) contractor to conduct a Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) on the following seven structures: War Bonnet Lodge   Former Evans Chevron  Big Sky Standard  KipCo Building Blackfeet Mainstream Building Former Blackfeet Transit Building Medicine Bear Shelter The TBA identified chrysotile asbestos above actionable levels in all seven structures. The Tribe has identified an additional seven abandoned buildings suspected to contain asbestos, though no assessment had been done before the start of the removal action. The buildings include: Margie Kennedy Center Former Fish and Game Building (damaged in a fire)  Hipp Building Red Eagle Campground House Former Bakery Buidling Seville Community Building Sleeping Wolf Building All of the structures are no longer used for any beneficial purpose. The structures pose a physical and environmental exposure hazard to nearby residents, users of the property, trespassers and salvagers. Given the hazards present at the Site and the proximity to residences and the public recreation area, EPA determined to conduct a time-critical removal action at the Site. 1.1.2.1 Location Primarily in the small rural community of Browning, Montana, on the Blackfeet Reservation.   1.1.2.2 Description of Threat Chrysotile asbestos was present in the unsecured, abandoned buildings and poses an exposure threat to nearby residents, users of the property, trespassers and salvagers.   1.1.3 Preliminary Removal Assessment/Removal Site Inspection Results 2. Current Activities   2.1 Operations Section     2.1.1 Narrative 2.1.2 Response Actions to Date   EPA mobilized the START contractor and Emergency and Rapid Response Services (ERRS) contractor to the Site beginning on August 19, 2013. A small ERRS team worked with Tribal leaders to visit each site and ensure power, water and propane were disconnected on all buildings and that any occupants were properly evicted. The full ERRS team arrived on Site the evening of August 22, 2013.   A cell has been mapped and prepared at the Blackfeet landfill to accept the asbestos containing waste. An additional area at the landfill has been identified for the non-contaminated construction debris.  Demolition of the War Bonnet Lodge, the largest of the buildings, began on Friday, August 23, 2013, and is expected to take one to two weeks to complete.   1 START contractor is on site at the War Bonnet Lodge providing air-monitoring support. 2 START contractors have visited each of the sites and gathered asbestos samples from 6 of the 7 additional sites requiring assessment for asbestos. The remaining site, the Margie Kennedy Center will be assessed early next week after the occupants have been properly evicted. 2.1.3 Enforcement Activities, Identity of Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) 2.1.4 Progress Metrics   Waste Stream Medium Quantity Manifest # Treatment Disposal Waste Stream Medium Quantity Manifest # Treatment Disposal                                       2.2 Planning Section     No information available at this time.   2.3 Logistics Section     No information available at this time.   2.4 Finance Section     No information available at this time.   2.5 Other Command Staff     No information available at this time. 3. Participating Entities   3.1 Unified Command 3.2 Cooperating Agencies             US EPA             Blackfeet Reservation Tribal offices 4. Personnel On Site               EPA: 1 OSC and 1 ERT member             Blackfeet Tribal Leadership: 8             ERRS: 20             START: 3 5. Definition of Terms   No information available at this time. 6. Additional sources of information   No information available at this time. 7. Situational Reference Materials   No information available at this time.