Crews contracted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will this week start cleaning up another round of yards in East Helena contaminated by lead and arsenic from the former smelter, the agency announced Monday.
The work will be done by Weston Solutions, a Pennsylvania company with an East Helena office that in March won a $100 million contract to perform remediation from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The cleanup effort is expected to take five years.
Crews will be tearing out and replacing yards that, through sampling, were found to have 400 parts per million or higher soil-lead content within the East Helena Superfund site boundary.
The EPA has already performed remediation in hundreds of East Helena yards under the prior 1,000-ppm action level, which was removed in 2024, and the soil cleanup level of 500 ppm was reduced to 400 ppm the same year, allowing more properties to qualify for remediation.
The EPA said Monday that cleanups will focus on priority properties where the highest levels of lead were found, where there are significant exposure concerns or where vulnerable populations — including children and the elderly — live and could be exposed.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with additional cleanup of lead in East Helena residential yards following the closing of a public comment period.
Crews will remove yards down to 18 or 24 inches and place the waste on the slag pile near for the former ASARCO smelter, where the soil might be used as a protective cover for the slag pile, the EPA said. Cleanups are expected to take three to four days depending on the yard size, though larger properties could take up to a week.
The agency said each yard will be cleaned on an individual basis with close consultation between Weston and property owners. Sampling and cleanups can only occur when a property owner gives written permission.
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Nearly 50 people gathered Monday at East Helena City Hall to hear about efforts to remove lead from contaminated soil to meet EPA standards.
Weston said in April its local Property Coordination Team and East Helena project office would be the point of contact for residents. Helena-based Olympus Technical Services will be supporting the Weston team’s construction efforts, and Weston said it would be working to offer summer day camp vouchers during scheduled work activities.
“This work directly affects families and neighborhoods, and we take that responsibility seriously,” Weston Program Manager Elizabeth Wessling said in a statement. “Our focus is on clear communication, careful execution and delivering results in a way that respects the community.”
Yard cleanup crews are expected to work until October depending on weather, according to a community presentation EPA officials gave to East Helena residents earlier this year.
“Accelerating cleanups in communities is a major priority for EPA, and today’s announcement shows how collaboration and smart project management can lead to major progress in achieving EPA’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment,” EPA Region 8 Regional Administrator Cyrus Western said in a statement. “EPA is proud to deliver quality cleanups to the vibrant and growing community of East Helena, helping protect the community and reduce the potential for lead exposure.”