Columbia Falls Aluminum announces permanent closure

KALISPELL (AP) – The company that owns Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. has announced the plant’s permanent closure more than five years after it last produced aluminum.

Glencore spokesman Haley Beaudry said Tuesday that the company will demolish some buildings on the 120-acre site.

The plant, located along the banks of the Flathead River just north of Columbia Falls, opened in 1955 and was initially owned by the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. Atlantic Richfield Co. purchased Anaconda in 1977, becoming the plant’s second owner. Montana Aluminum Investors Corp. bought CFAC in 1985 and Swiss commodities firm Glencore bought the plant in 1999.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Quality are studying cleanup options. The EPA has said it qualifies as a Superfund site and has been seeking public input.