Welcome to Clark Fork River Technical Assistance Committee

March 10, 2010

Featured News

Superfund Projects Highlighted at the 6th Clark Fork Symposium

Superfund cleanups in the upper Clark Fork River Basin were a substantial focus of the 6th Clark Fork Symposium held last week at the University of Montana. ...

March 09 2010

New Website Explores Public Role in Upper Clark Fork Superfund History

A new website explores the role of public participation in shaping the Record of Decision (i.e. remedy or clean-up) Superfund sites in the upper Clark Fork River Basin. ...

March 09 2010

Butte Legislator Seeks NRDP Funds for Historical Museum in Butte
A proposal by a Butte legislator to use Natural Resource Damage Program funds to build a new state historical museum in Butte has received an initial favorable reaction from ...

March 04 2010

DEQ Seeks Public Comment on Cooling Pond and Berm Removal
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking public comment on the proposal to remove a cooling pond and berm along the Blackfoot River ...

March 04 2010

The Milltown Superfund Recap

In 1908 a massive flood washed millions of cubic yards of toxic mine wastes into the Clark Fork River system. Generations later, in 1983, the Milltown Reservoir was listed by the Environmental Protection Agency as a Superfund site after the discovery that several million cubic yards of heavy metal contaminated sediments had piled up behind the dam, polluting the groundwater beneath with high concentrations of arsenic.

The Three R's of the Milltown Reservoir Superfund Project

thumb_dam-news-08-small The project now underway at the Milltown Reservoir is one of the nation's most challenging and ambitious environmental cleanups. It is an effort that integrates what's known as the Three Rs, remediation, restoration and redevelopment.

The Other End of the Dam Project

As of June 2009, more than 1.9 million cubic yards had been shipped from the Milltown site to the BP ARCO waste repository at the Anaconda Superfund site. More than two million cubic yards will shipped in total. At the repository, roughly 80,000 cubic yards of reservoir sediments are scooped daily from one train with 45 rail cars. The daily process of unloading, spreading, and seeding sediments will continue through late 2009. All in all, the material from Milltown will cover less than a quarter of the waste repository, or about 800 out of 4,000 total acres.

A Bird's Eye View of the Milltown Superfund Cleanup Progress

After three years of cleanup work at the Milltown Reservoir Superfund site, the project has passed several major milestones. These aerial photos highlight some of that progress.

Stay Involved

Milltown / Clark Fork Events Calendar

March 16 – DEQ Public Meeting on the Stimson Mill cooling pond and berm removal, 7 p.m. Bonner School.

March 23 – Milltown Superfund Redevelopment Working Group meeting, 6:30 p.m. Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Bonner.

CFRTAC on the Radio
CFRTAC has a monthly commentary on Clark Fork River Superfund issues on Montana Public Radio, every fourth Thursday. The next commentary will air on Feb. 18, followed by another on March. 18. In the meantime, listen to or read recent commentaries here.

River Reading Room
Check out these recently released digital documents (PDF) relating to the Milltown/Clark Fork River Superfund effort.