Pollution/Situation Report Profile

Blackfeet Asbestos, TCE and Lead-based Paint Project Site
Browning, MT - EPA Region VIII
POLREP #2

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U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
POLLUTION/SITUATION REPORT
Blackfeet Asbestos, TCE and Lead-based Paint Project Site - Removal Polrep

EPA Emergency Response

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Region VIII

Subject:

POLREP #2
Blackfeet Asbestos, TCE and Lead-based Paint Project Site
A894
Browning, MT
Latitude: 48.9358810 Longitude: -113.0261580

To:

From:

Curtis Kimbel, OSC

Date:

8/27/2013

Reporting Period:

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.

From 2004 through 2012, 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 (Currently being demolished; expected completion date Friday, August 30, 2013)
Former Evans Chevron (Demolition scheduled to begin Wednesday, August 28, 2013.)
Big Sky Standard (Demolition scheduled to begin Wednesday, August 28, 2013.)
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. Asbestos sampling has been completed on six of the seven buildings. Four buildings were found to be positive for asbestos including:

Fish and Game Building (damaged in a fire)-positive-tile/mastic 5%-7% asbestos and popcorn ceiling 8% asbestos.
Red Eagle Campground House-positive-sheet vinyl 23% asbestos
Former Bakery-vermiculite (Demolition scheduled to begin Wednesday, August 28, 2013.)
Seville Community Building-positive-tile 7% asbestos

Two buildings suspected of containing asbestos were sampled and found to be negative for asbestos. They include:

Hipp 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.

In addition to the buildings listed above, the Tribe has requested assistance with the following:

Identify and dispose of hazardous waste left within several abandoned buildings.

Confirm that trichloroethylene, which leaked from an underground storage tank at the Blackfeet Pencil Factory, was cleaned up properly (EPA performed a removal in the mid 1990s.).

Test for the presense of asbestos at the Gun Site Dump.

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 to ensure that 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.

In accordance with a letter received from the Blackfeet Tribal Council dated August 16, 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.

One START contractor is on site at the War Bonnet Lodge providing air-monitoring support. Two START contractors visited each of the remaining sites and gathered asbestos samples including at the Margie Kennedy Ceter, which was assessed Monday, August 26, 2013, after the occupants had been properly evicted.

OSC Kimbel accompanied Blackfeet Environmental and Department of Emergency Services personnel to an oil spill on the reservation the morning of Monday, August 26, 2013. FX Oil had spilled approximately 20 barrels of crude oil from a valve failure. The repair crew exacerbated the problem when they completely ruptured the oil line with a backhoe while trying to find the source of the leak. The spill was called in to the NRC as FX personnel repaired the leak and cleaned up the spill under Blackfeet Environmental Program oversight.

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