Notable, Martz said in a written statement, is the integration of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's cleanup plan with the state of Montana's plan for restoring the confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers.
"Integration of these actions will allow a variety of benefits, including cost savings, enhanced protectiveness, a more natural river environment, improved fish passage and greater recreational opportunities - in the Milltown area and upstream and downstream as well," Martz said.
The sediments will be taken by rail to existing tailings ponds at Opportunity, 100 miles back upriver. The reservoir will be drained and restored.
Said Martz: "This cooperative cleanup action will not only benefit people today, but more importantly, serve as a lasting legacy that will benefit future generations of Montanans, who will be able to enjoy the restored environment and recreational opportunities offered by the Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers."
Monday's decision came after years of negotiations between the EPA, state of Montana, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Atlantic Richfield Co. and NorthWestern Energy.
Arco and NorthWestern must pay for the cleanup - Arco because it merged with Anaconda Copper Co. in 1979, NorthWestern because it owns Milltown Dam.
Estimated cost of the cleanup is more than $100 million.
Martz said state officials will continue to be actively involved in the cleanup, and want to see it "fully, quickly and effectively implemented."
The next step will be the signing of a consent decree outlining which company will be responsible for which costs and duties associated with the remediation and restoration. The document is expected by the end of January.
Then will come construction of a bypass channel that will take the Clark Fork River away from the most contaminated sediments during the dam's removal - thereby reducing the amount of sediment stirred up by the construction.
Martz first announced her support for Milltown Dam's removal two years ago, in her annual state of the state address. The decision, she said, was one of her administration's most significant environmental actions.
Credit, though, goes to the EPA, the governor said, "for its constructive approach in integrating the state's natural resource restoration actions with the remedy."
City Editor Sherry Devlin can be reached at 523-5268 or at sdevlin@missoulian.com
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