Welcome to Clark Fork River Technical Assistance Committee

February 8, 2010

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Dam News 2010: Defining Restoration for the Clark Fork River

Milltown remediation saw dam and sediment removal. The end goal for the state's restoration plan is a "naturally functioning channel and floodplain." But just what does that really mean?

Dam News 2010: River Restoration Q&A

The Dam News 2010 features a question and answer section on the who, what, where, when, why and how of the state's river restoration plan at the Milltown Superfund site.

Sampling Demonstration Offers Insight into River Cleanup Plans

State crews continue to gather site-specific information to help determine cleanup plans for the upper Clark Fork River Superfund site.

Featured News

CFRTAC Friend and Volunteer Leonard Schombel Dies at Age 94
Longtime Milltown water quality champion and CFRTAC volunteer Leonard Schombel died ...

January 27 2010

Natural Resource Damage Program Projects Await Governor’s Review
Twelve proposed Natural Resource Damage Program projects in the upper Clark Fork ...

January 27 2010

Five-Year Review Begins at Silver Bow Creek-Butte Superfund Site
The performance of Silver Bow Creek / Butte Area Superfund cleanup is the subject ...

January 27 2010

6th Clark Fork Symposium Set for March at the University of Montana
Papers, presentations and posters on river conservation and restoration are being sought ...

January 07 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

February 13 – 5th Annual Hooked On Art, 10-4 p.m. at the Bonner School.

March 4&5 – Clark Fork Symposium, University of Montana-Missoula.

March 16 – 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.