Montana Dam Will Be Removed to Clear Arsenic Sediment

[eleny]

Thom Hartmann was just discussing this with Montana's governor. Thom is broadcasting from Montana today. The dam is fnally being removed.

It's the Miltown Dam and it can be seen on Google Earth if you do a search for "Miltown Dam, Montana".

HELENA, Montana, December 21, 2004 (ENS) - Federal and state officials have decided to remove a hydroelectric dam that has trapped nearly a century's worth of sediments from mining, milling and smelting operations in Montana's Upper Clark Fork Valley. Those sediments, contaminated with arsenic, have polluted the drinking water supply for the community of Milltown and threaten the local fishery. The reservoir area behind the dam has been a Superfund site since 1983.

On Monday, after years of negotiating and public comment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued the final Record of Decision for the Milltown Reservoir Sediments Operable Unit of the Milltown Reservoir/Clark Fork River Superfund Site.

As outlined in the Record of Decision, the cleanup will remove the Milltown Dam, excavate 2.6 million cubic yards of the most highly contaminated sediments in the Milltown Reservoir, restore the Milltown drinking water supply within a decade, allow unrestricted fish passage, and return the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers to their natural, free flowing state.

The decision is the culmination of years of negotiation between the EPA, the state of Montana, the Atlantic Richfield Company, and NorthWestern Energy.

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/dec2004/2004-12-21-04.asp

[Buzz Clik]

1. What a fascinating story. Thanks for posting.

This situation encapsulates environmental struggles in this country -- 26 years as a superfund site before a decision is reached.

I'd be curious to know about the arsenic in the drinking water in the area -- were the arsenic levels in excess of allowable concentrations prior to Clinton's signing of the more stringent regs?

Reading the history of this decision and the final EPA ROD would be revealing, I'm sure.

[kestrel91316]

2. I sure hope they put all that sediment someplace where it won't come back to haunt them.....

[Nihil]

3. Yucca Mountain?

:hide:

[kestrel91316]

4. Nah, probably in a depressed east LA County community......