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Milltown Reservoir Sediments
View of the project area at the confluence of the BlackFoot and Clark Fork Rivers
Bonner Public Meeting, October 14, 2008 (PDF, 5.3 M, about PDF files)
Thompson Falls Public Meeting, October 15, 2008 (PDF, 3.2 M)
Read EPA's bi-weekly Cleanup Updates
These updates are intended to provide you with the latest information about remediation,
restoration, and redevelopment of the Milltown Reservoir Sediments Superfund Site.
What's happening with the 3Rs: Remediation, Restoration, and Redevelopment?
Currently:
- The spillway of the Milltown Dam is being removed; should be completely out in October 2008.
- Continue excavating contaminated sediments from the site and loading onto trains for disposal at the Anaconda Smelter Superfund Site. Daily, about 4500 tons are shipped off-site; To date, the project has removed over a 1,000,000 million tons - almost 50% done! Excavation/hauling/disposal will continue at least through 2009.
- Restoration planning is underway; vegetation is being salvaged for use in the near future in restoring the Clark Fork River and its flood plain.
- Designs are underway for construction of the public viewing area on the bluff overlooking the confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers; construction should be complete early this fall.
- The Milltown Redevelopment Working Group recently revised its Conceptual Redevelopment Plan for the project area.
- Discussions continue between the Working Group and the State of Montana about the possibility of redeveloping this area as a State Park.
- State of Montana is busy replacing the Highway 200 Bridge over the Blackfoot River; new bridge should be in place this fall (2008)
- Missoula County is busy replacing/renovating the pedestrian bridge over the Blackfoot River; new bridge should be in place this fall (2008)
Clark Fork Coalition hosts the "Dam Cam", Live
Milltown Reservoir WebCam 
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View pictures and videos of the Milltown Dam removal and Clark Fork River diversion
Press releases on the Milltown Dam breach and the Clark Fork River diversion:
March 28, 2008: Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes press release (PDF)
March 27, 2008: Breach of the Milltown Dam
March 20, 2008: Diversion of Clark Fork River to begin
March 14, 2008: Water to flow into Clark Fork River bypass channel
January 28, 2008: Demolition of Milltown Dam Powerhouse near Missoula, Mont.
Milltown Dam is breached!
The Milltown Dam was completed in 1908 and around noon on Friday, March 28,
2008, a century later, the Milltown Dam was officially breached. This was
an historical moment in both the cleanup of the Milltown Reservoir Sediments
Superfund Site and in the rich cultural and natural history of the Milltown-Bonner
area.
Approximately 1000 people, including Montana Governor Schweitzer, Senators Baucus and Tester, local legislators, city council members, tribal, state, federal, and local officials, community groups, and members of the public, gathered on the bluff overlooking the reservoir and near the dam. Everyone anxiously watched and waited as an excavator scooped out the last bit of soil and the dam was officially breached. Water trickled through slowly at first, gathering speed as more and more of the river flows were captured. The chasm deepened as more and more of the coffer dam eroded away. Then, just before dark Friday night, the Blackfoot River flows had been completely captured. Now the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers are flowing freely downstream for the first time in over a century.
While much as been accomplished, more remains to be done. For the next year and a half, work crews will continue to excavate and load contaminated sediments onto rail cars (45 cars/day) en route to the Anaconda Smelter Superfund Site nearly 100 miles away. Later this summer, when river flows drop, workers will begin removing the rest of the Milltown Dam (divider block, radial gate and spillway). As the cleanup (remediation) continues, restoration and redevelopment of the site are beginning. The remediation should be done in 2010 and restoration should be completed by 2012. Redevelopment is ongoing. Hopefully, this Superfund site will one day become a state park.
Cleanup Progress
This innovative cleanup integrates remediation, restoration, and redevelopment and will:
- Remove the Milltown Dam and Powerhouse
- Excavate approximately 2.2 million cubic yards of the most highly contaminated sediments in the Milltown Reservoir
- Restore the Milltown drinking water supply in as little as a decade
- Allow unrestricted fish passage, and
- Return the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers to a more natural and free-flowing state.
Cleanup is underway!
Artist's rendition of the restored confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers (PDF, 205 K; about PDF files)
Public Involvement the Cleanup Design
EPA has convened a Design Review Team to to work on the remedial design. The Design Review Team has been meeting periodically since the fall of 2005. Along with EPA, the State of Montana, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Missoula County and the Clark Fork River Technical Assistance Committee are representing the public in design discussions. The Design Review Team continues to meet regularly to review and discuss site cleanup plans.A number of new design documents and other site-related documents are available to the public. You can download the documents from this website (do not try to open them from the ftp site): ftp://publicmtpub05@64.25.133.122 and Clark Fork River Technical Assistance Committee.
Monitoring data (downloadable spreadsheet) is available in this ftp folder.
Background and Cleanup Goals
In December 2004, EPA, with the concurrence of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, issued the Milltown Reservoir Sediments Record of Decision (ROD). ROD Summary fact sheet
The ROD contains 3 parts: Part One: The Declaration (8 page legal summary which EPA and DEQ signed); Part Two: Decision Summary (fully describes the selected remedy, including information leading to this decision); and Part Three: Responsiveness Summary (public comments and responses to those comments). The US Department of Interior/Fish and Wildlife Service and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes also concur with the Milltown Reservoir Record of Decision. There is no public comment on the Record of Decision. It is a final document.
Consent Decree negotiations (to determine who pays for and performs the work) were completed in the summer of 2005. Consent Decree fact sheet.
The 3 Rs: Remediation. Restoration. Redevelopment. The Milltown Reservoir Sediments cleanup (remediation) is being carefully planned and coordinated with the State of Montana's Natural Resource Damages Program, integrating remediation and restoration activities.
Redevelopment: Envisioning the Future
The Superfund cleanup (remediation) portion should be complete in 2009. The restoration work should be completed about 2 years later (2011). What will the area look like once the remediation and restoration are complete? What do we want to see in 5, 10, 20, or 50 years?
This is the question the commuity-based Milltown Redevelopment Working Group seeks to answer. This group of citizens was appointed by the Missoula County Commissioners in 2003 to work with their neighbors and other community members to examine possible land re-use and redevelopment options for the Milltown Superfund Site. In early 2005, after many meetings, public outreach and public comment, the Milltown Redevelopment Working Group presented a Conceptual Redevelopment Plan to the Missoula County Commissioners for consideration. The redevelopment plan (PDF, 58 pp, 8 MB) was adopted by the County in March 2005. Highlights of this plan include walking, biking, and equestrian trails in the Bonner-Milltown area, upgrading the Bonner pedestrian bridge over the Blackfoot River, and looking at ways to tell the stories of the area's rich history through historic preservation activities.
There are currently 3 Workgroup subcommittees:
- Recreation and Trails (chaired by Sue Furey, Piltzville). Current focus: Planning for a possible public park
- History and Culture (chaired by Judy Matson, West Riverside). Current focus: Preserving local historic photos and items from the Powerhouse.
- Outreach (chaired by Gary Matson, West Riverside). Current focus: Outreach about planning for a possible public park.
Over the past couple of years, the Redevelopment Working Group has been raising funds to implement parts of the Conceptual Plan. The Working Group currently has about $4 million for various redevelopment projects. Recent examples include:
- Safety trail for school children and other pedestrians along Highway 210 East from the Bonner School to the Piltzville Fire Station (EPA funded).
- New pedestrian "hybrid" bridge over the Blackfoot River in Bonner (funding from EPA, Montana Natural Resources Damage Program, and the federal highway bill for alternative transportation projects).
During the summer of 2007, the Working Group made presenatations to various area groups and neighbors about the Conceptual Plan and gathered some ideas about how to refine the "concepts" and move more towards designing what may one day become a state park or other state-managed property (e.g., fishing access site or wildlife management area). In September 2007, the Working Group hosted a "Design Workshop" where 30 participants (community members, experts from agencies, and volunteer landscape architects) spent 2 days talking and dreaming and ultimately coming up with designs for 3 potential park areas::
- Milltown Gateway: low intensity design ; higher intensity design
- Confluence Area (Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers) lower intensity design
- Former Milltown Resevoir Area: larger area: more detailed design; bluff overlook
As currently envisioned, the lands owned by NorthWestern Energy Corporation in the area in and around the Milltown Reservoir Sediments Superfund Site would be converted to a publicly-owned park with trails, river access sites, bridges, interpretative signage, viewing area on the bluff overlooking the confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers, and possibly an interpretative center. Ideally, a trail system would link the Milltown Gateway, Confluence and former Reservoir areas along the Blackfoot and Clark Fork Rivers as well as connecting to Missoula's Riverfront Trail system, extending the Kim Williams Trail along the Clark Fork River.
An interpretative center/signage is also envisioned, describing the history of the area from Glacial Lake Missoula to the Native Americans' road to the buffalo, Lewis and Clark's voyage of discovery, the mining and logging history, the construction of the Milltown Dam and Powerhouse, area poets and artists, to the present-day Superfund cleanup, river restoration and area redevelopment.
The Redevelopment Group meets the 4th Tuesday of each month at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Bonner. Meetings run from 6:30-9:00 pm, are free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Peter Nielsen, Missoula City-County Health Department, at (406) 258-4968 or Diana Hammer, EPA, at (406) 457-5040. Read the Redevelopment Working Group newsletter (PDF, 6 pp, 1.9 MB). More information about the Working Group.
Community Involvement
EPA strives to keep the community involved and informed about site activities through on-going community outreach and education efforts.
- Cleanup Updates about the cleanup progress
- EPA publishes short (2-page) regular (every 2 weeks) updates describing
cleanup progress, upcoming events, and other site-related issues.
Click here to subscribe.
- Community Office - EPA and DEQ staff are available every
other Tuesday from 1:00-3:00 pm. Please stop by or call: (406) 258-5155.
Located at 315 Anaconda Street in Milltown, Montana.
- Informational kiosks - these provide an overview of the cleanup (remediation), restoration, and redevelopment activities, including the weekly updates. Kiosks are located at: the Milltown Community Office, start of the Kim Williams Trail along the Clark Fork River, the Missoula Public Library, the Missoula County Court House, the Weigh Station River Access on the Blackfoot River and one will soon be located in the parking lot for the bluff overlook.
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Bluff Overlook - the best place from which to view the on-going cleanup of the Milltown Resevoir is from the bluff overlooking the site. Through the generous donation of land from the Plum Creek Timber Company (donated), NorthWestern Energy (in progress) and a private landowner (in progress) and the public service spirit of the Carpernters' Union Local #28, the bluff overlook should remain a public asset for years to come!
EPA is partnering with others to design and build a handicap-accessible trail leading to a fenced area on the bluff. There will be a small parking lot and interpretataive signage on the bluff and at the parking lot. Ther area is currently closed for construction; construction should be complete this fall (2008).
In the meantime, tours can be arranged by calling Diana Hammer, EPA, (406) 457-5040.
- EPA allows hosts periodic public meetings, publishes site fact sheets, and makes presentations to area organizations and community groups. The next public meeting will be in early-mid October 2008.
We welcome your ideas and comments!
Site Description
The Milltown Reservoir Sediments Site (Milltown Site) is an Operable Unit within a larger Superfund Site, the Milltown Reservoir Sediments/Clark Fork River Superfund Site. This Site includes approximately 120 miles of the Clark Fork River upstream of the Milltown Dam and Reservoir. The Milltown Dam and Reservoir are located at the confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers, a few miles upstream of Missoula, in western Montana.
Behind the Dam are approximately 6.6 million cubic yards of contaminated sediments. Arsenic in the sediments has polluted the local drinking water aquifer and release of copper in the sediments threatens downstream fish and other aquatic life. These sediments were deposited over the past century, the result of historical mining operations upstream in Butte.
There are Superfund cleanup activities on-going throughout the Clark Fork Basin. EPA issued a Record of Decision in December 2004, calling for removal of the Milltown Dam and the most highly contaminated sediments. There was broad public support for this cleanup plan some 98% of the nearly 5,000 comments received during the public comment periods supported EPA's proposed plans.
The Milltown Site is located adjacent to the unincorporated communities of Milltown and Bonner. Other nearby unincorporated communities in the "Two Rivers Area" are Piltzville, West Riverside, Pine Grove, and East Missoula. Missoula, the county seat is 6 miles west of the Site. There are approximately 60,000 people in Missoula and 95,000 people in Missoula County.
Site Risk
Immediate risks to public health from a contaminated drinking water supply have been temporarily addressed .With the implementation of the Milltown Reservoir Sediments Record of Decision, EPA expects the Milltown drinking water supply to be cleaned up permanently. The groundwater should be clean within a decade following removal of the source of pollution (reservoir sediments contaminated with arsenic) and the Milltown Dam (which provides hydraulic pressure, driving the pollution into the Milltown groundwater).| Media Affected | Contaminants | Source of Contamination |
| Groundwater, reservoir sediments | arsenic, copper | historic mining activity |
Site Documents
To keep the public up to date about cleanup activities at the Milltown Reservoir Superfund Site, EPA produces weekly updates and maintains a site photo gallery.cleanup activities. To plan and carryout the cleanup, EPA produces a number of technical documents such as the Record of Decision (ROD), monitoring plans, design work plans, etc.
Click on the links below to access the Milltown Reservoir site documents:
- Milltown Reservoir cleanup updates
- Milltown Reservoir fact sheets
- Milltown Reservoir technical documents
Note: many of the documents below are Adobe PDF files (about PDF files)
December 2007 Update: Cleanup Need and Cleanup Progress
Spring 2007 Update: Site Activities and Public Meeting (PDF, 12 pp, 918K)
Arsenic levels drop in Milltown water
It's been 16 years since residents of Milltown received official notice their
arsenic-contaminated aquifer might be purified someday. Now well water test
results indicate that process may have finally begun. Read
more.
Milltown Reservoir/Clark Fork River Contacts
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