Libby Ground Water Contamination

NPL Site
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Libby, MT

According to the EPA Superfund Enterprise Management System, Libby Ground Water Contamination in Libby, MT is listed with NPL status NPL Site. Its Hazard Ranking System (HRS) score is 37.67. The public extract catalogs 63 contaminant records for this site. EPA marks construction of the cleanup remedy as complete. NPL listing is a cleanup-authority designation, not a measured health-risk score.

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Superfund National Priorities List inclusion (status and HRS score shown above) is the EPA's formal designation that a contaminated site qualifies for long-term federal cleanup authority under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). A federal-facility classification means the site is owned or operated by a federal agency, which routes cleanup responsibility differently than a privately owned site.

"Construction Complete" (status shown above) is an EPA milestone marking that the physical remedy work is finished, not that the site has exited EPA oversight; long-term monitoring can continue afterward. Deletion from the NPL is a separate, later step the EPA takes only once it determines every planned response action is finished.

NPL listing is a cleanup-authority designation in the EPA record, not a quantitative health-risk score. HRS scores of 28.50 or above qualify a site for the NPL under the EPA screening model (toxicity, pathways, waste quantity, and affected population factors). For current site conditions and official community notices, see the EPA Regional Superfund profile and the Montana environmental agency.

What is the cleanup status of this Superfund site?

NPL Status
NPL Site
Federal Facility
No
Construction Complete
Yes
HRS Score
37.67
Deleted from NPL
No

Contaminants

Contaminant Media
1,1,1-TRICHLOROETHANE Groundwater
1,1,2-TRICHLORO-1,2,2-TRIFLUOROETHANE Groundwater
1,1-DICHLOROETHANE Groundwater
1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9-OCTACHLORODIBENZO[b,e][1,4]DIOXIN (OCDD) Soil
1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9-OCTACHLORODIBENZOFURAN Soil
1,2,3,7,8-PENTACHLORODIBENZOFURAN Soil
1,2-DIHYDROACENAPHTHYLENE Groundwater
1,2-DIHYDROACENAPHTHYLENE Soil
2,3,4,7,8-PENTACHLORODIBENZOFURAN (PeCDF) Soil
2,3,7,8-TETRACHLORODIBENZO-p-DIOXIN (TCDD) Soil
2,3,7,8-TETRACHLORODIBENZOFURAN Soil
2-BUTANONE (METHYL ETHYL KETONE) Groundwater
9H-FLUORENE Groundwater
9H-FLUORENE Soil
ACENAPHTHYLENE Groundwater
ANTHRACENE Groundwater
ANTHRACENE Soil
ARSENIC Groundwater
ARSENIC Soil
BENZENE Groundwater
BENZENE Soil
BENZO(B)FLUORANTHENE Groundwater
BENZO(B)FLUORANTHENE Soil
BENZO(K)FLUORANTHENE Groundwater
BENZO(K)FLUORANTHENE Soil
BENZO[A]ANTHRACENE Groundwater
BENZO[A]ANTHRACENE Soil
BENZO[A]PYRENE Groundwater
BENZO[A]PYRENE Soil
CARCINOGENIC POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (cPAH) Soil
CHROMIUM Groundwater
CHROMIUM Soil
CHROMIUM (III) Groundwater
CHRYSENE Groundwater
CHRYSENE Soil
COPPER Groundwater
DIBENZO(A,H)ANTHRACENE Groundwater
DIBENZO(A,H)ANTHRACENE Soil
DICHLOROMETHANE (METHYLENE CHLORIDE) Groundwater
ETHYLBENZENE Groundwater
FLUORANTHENE Groundwater
FLUORANTHENE Soil
HEPTACHLORODIBENZO[b,e][1,4]DIOXIN (HpCDD) (MIXED ISOMERS) Soil
HEXACHLORODIBENZO[b,e][1,4]DIOXIN (HxCDD) (MIXED ISOMERS) Soil
INDENO(1,2,3-CD)PYRENE Groundwater
INDENO(1,2,3-CD)PYRENE Soil
LEAD Groundwater
LEAD Soil
NAPHTHALENE Groundwater
NICKEL Groundwater
PENTACHLORODIBENZO[b,e][1,4]DIOXIN (PECDD) (MIXED ISOMERS) Soil
PENTACHLOROPHENOL Groundwater
PENTACHLOROPHENOL Soil
PHENANTHRENE Groundwater
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHS) Soil
PYRENE Groundwater
TETRACHLORODIBENZO[b,e][1,4]DIOXIN (TCDD) (Mixed isomers) Groundwater
TETRACHLOROETHENE Groundwater
TOLUENE Groundwater
TOLUENE Soil
XYLENE (MIXED ISOMERS) Groundwater
XYLENE (MIXED ISOMERS) Soil
ZINC Groundwater

Location

City
Libby
State
Coordinates
48.3800, -115.5389

Other Superfund Sites in Montana

Site Name Status HRS Score
ACM Smelter and Refinery NPL Site 54.26
Anaconda Aluminum Co Columbia Falls Reduction Plant NPL Site 68.39
Anaconda Co. Smelter NPL Site 58.71
Barker Hughesville Mining District NPL Site 50.00
Basin Mining Area NPL Site 61.15
Billings PCE NPL Site 50.00
Carpenter Snow Creek Mining District NPL Site 50.00
East Helena Site NPL Site 61.65
Flat Creek IMM NPL Site 51.33
Idaho Pole Co. NPL Site 38.29

How does this site's HRS score compare in Montana?

Of the 19 Montana Superfund sites with a scored Hazard Ranking System (HRS) evaluation, Libby Ground Water Contamination ranks #16 by score (37.67).

Either side of it: Milltown Reservoir Sediments (43.78), Idaho Pole Co. (38.29), Montana Pole and Treating (33.03), Mouat Industries (31.66)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Libby Ground Water Contamination Superfund site?
Libby Ground Water Contamination, in Libby, MT, sits toward the lower end of Montana's Hazard Ranking System scores (HRS 37.67, rank #16 of 19 scored sites) among the state's Superfund sites. A lower HRS rank within the state does not mean no cleanup obligation -- Superfund sites are contaminated locations identified by the EPA for long-term cleanup under CERCLA regardless of relative score.
What does NPL listing mean for Libby Ground Water Contamination?
According to the EPA, National Priorities List (NPL) listing designates a site for long-term federal Superfund cleanup authority. It is a programmatic status in the Superfund Enterprise Management System, not a quantitative health-risk score for nearby residents. EPA records mark construction of the cleanup remedy as complete at this site. Site-specific conditions and community guidance are published by EPA Regional Superfund offices and the relevant state environmental agency.
What is the HRS score for Libby Ground Water Contamination?
Libby Ground Water Contamination's Hazard Ranking System (HRS) score is 37.67, placing it #16 of 19 Montana Superfund sites with a scored HRS evaluation -- among the lower-scored sites in the state. Sites with a score of 28.50 or greater qualify for the NPL; the model weighs contaminant toxicity, waste quantity, release likelihood, and affected population, and is not a community health diagnosis.
What contaminants are at the Libby Ground Water Contamination site?
The EPA public Superfund extract catalogs 63 contaminants at Libby Ground Water Contamination, documented through the remedial investigation process. Counts reflect listed records in that extract, not a complete inventory of every substance ever present.
What is the cleanup status of Libby Ground Water Contamination?
Libby Ground Water Contamination is currently NPL Site on the National Priorities List. Construction of the cleanup remedy has been completed. The EPA Superfund cleanup process includes phases from preliminary assessment through post-construction completion.

NPL listing is a cleanup-authority designation in the EPA record, not a quantitative health-risk score. See Superfund Sites Explained for how the National Priorities List, Hazard Ranking System, and cleanup phases work.

Related

Data sourced from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainEnviro