Cleanup work on Troy homes targeted for 2006

The Daily Inter Lake

Cleanup of asbestos-contaminated homes in Troy is expected to begin in 2006 and will likely take a couple of years to complete.

Jim Christiansen, Environmental Protection Agency project manager, said he has requested about $1 million to investigate the Troy homes and businesses but hasn't gotten a green light yet.

"I expect in the next year or two we'll get the money," he said.

Just a few miles down the road from Libby, Troy was home to many W.R. Grace miners who worked at the vermiculite mine. Buildings there were routinely insulated with vermiculite, and yards and gardens were laden with the toxic substance.

About 200 to 300 homes and businesses in Troy will be cleaned, with the state Department of Environmental Quality as the lead agency, Christiansen said.

"The DEQ has signed a cooperative agreement, at least for the investigation. That doesn't mean they'll pay for it," he said, adding that funding will come from the EPA.

While the details of the Troy cleanup are being worked out, cleanup will probably proceed at Troy High School, where vermiculite was found sifting through the ceiling of the auditorium.

"We've done some Band-aid work there," Christiansen said.