HELENA - The western Montana town of Superior and a nearby mine site were named a federal Superfund environmental cleanup site on Wednesday.

High levels of lead, arsenic and other hazardous substances have been found in Superior and along nearby Flat Creek - the result of the now-closed Iron Mountain Mine and Mill. Superior was one of 11 sites added to the Superfund National Priorities List by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

There have been no sicknesses associated with the site. Federal officials say the cleanup is needed to guard against long-term health problems.

"It's not what we want to be known for," said Superior Mayor Michael Wood.

"However, we feel the Superfund cleanup will go very fast. The EPA really has a handle on what needs to be done."

The town of about 900 people is located northwest of Missoula along Interstate 90.

The Iron Mountain gold and silver mine closed in 1953. Mine tailings were later brought to town to use as fill in driveways, beneath roads and for the local high school track. Some contaminated soil, including some used at the track, was removed beginning in 2001.

The town and mine already were on a state Superfund list. The site is the 15th in Montana to enter the federal program.

The EPA has made residential soil cleanup its first priority.

More than 300 properties have been tested so far and about 10 showed lead and arsenic contamination, said Susan Mittelstadt, the EPA's project manager for the cleanup.

All the contamination was found in driveways and yards. Mittelstadt said five sites had "extremely high" lead levels.

The owners of those properties were told to stay away from the contaminated areas until the clean up is completed. None requested an emergency cleanup, Mittelstadt said.

If all of Superior's property owners allow EPA access for soil testing, Mittelstadt said the town should be cleaned up within a year or two.

The cleanup of Flat Creek is expected to take much longer, but Mittelstadt said it was too early to offer a precise timeline.