Asarco and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality have settled a lawsuit that alleged the company was storing hazardous waste products at its idled lead smelter in East Helena, MT.
The settlement, reached Feb. 17, requires that the company complete the cleanup of the site by the end of next year and pay a fine of around $179,000.
The consent agreement calls for the company to clean up and recycle or dispose of the material that was left at the site, which has been idled since spring of 2001.
According to local press reports, the waste materials in question, laden with heavy metals like cadmium, chromium and traces of lead, were a byproduct of the smelting process, and usually were removed during normal plant operations.
Asarco and the DEQ also have identified 10 major process locations where removal of recyclable materials is still required. Those areas include the laboratory, equipment and material storage areas and maintenance shops; process water and storm water tanks; the former crushing mill and its ventilation systems; areas in the sinter, acid, dross and zinc plants; and the blast furnace operations and its ventilation systems.
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