The coalition is asking the state to fund the estimated $2.8 million project to remove additional contaminated sediments in the Clark Fork River channel just upstream from Milltown Dam and upstream of Duck Bridge.
Under the current plan, sediment found in the river channel will be left high and dry once the Clark Fork River is rerouted a few hundred yards north of its present location. Out of the floodplain, the estimated 360,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment would be protected by heavy rock.
Last year, the state also found an additional 200,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment above the Duck Pond.
“They asked us to roll that into our proposal,” Brick said. “Those sediments aren't quite as contaminated, but they do have relatively high levels of copper and arsenic.”
The Clark Fork Coalition contends that it doesn't make sense to spend $100 million to clean up the confluence of two large rivers and leave behind a potential source of future pollution. The current plan calls for removing 2.2 million cubic yards of sediment from the site.
“We thought these sediments should have been removed before the remedial plan was written,” said Brick. “Right from the beginning, we've been saying this should be part of the remediation. We've been saying it a long time. We hope this will work.”
The coalition is asking the state to fund the additional cleanup through its Natural Resource Damage Program.
Each year, that program funds restoration projects from Butte to Milltown from a partial settlement the state received in 1999 from a lawsuit against Atlantic Richfield Co. The projects are funded from a portion of the interest earned annually by the $159 million fund.
On April 17, the coalition will go before the NRD's citizen advisory committee in Butte to explain its proposal - which asks for $1.25 million in 2008 and $1.54 million in 2009.
It won't be alone.
There are eight other proposals requesting more than $9.5 million from the fund in 2008. The cap is set at $8.5 million.
Since the annual grants program began in 2000, funding requests have exceeded the cap three of the seven years, said Carol Fox, restoration chief of the Natural Resource Damage Program. Since the partial settlement, the governor has approved 55 projects for a total of $54.25 million in restoration funds, she said.
The process to obtain funding is long and a bit complicated.
The citizen advisory committee, which is made up of representatives from five counties, makes the initial review of applications seeking $25,000 or more. The committee then tours the proposed projects before making recommendations to the Trustees Restoration Council, which includes high-ranking state government officials and the citizen council chair.
The public gets a chance to weigh in before the trustees make their recommendations to the governor. Sometime in December, the governor makes the final decision.
The coalition has received support for its proposal from the Missoula County commissioners.
In a letter to Fox, the commissioners said leaving the sediments in place would significantly affect the natural values of the area.
“Removal of the additional sediments would allow reconstruction of a wider and less channelized floodplain,” the letter read. “These sediments, if left in place, would restrict the width of the floodplain that is available to the river to use for both migration and flood attenuation.
“If the sediments are left in place, it would require heavy engineering to lock the river in place. This would significantly impact natural values on which our redevelopment plan is based, and make the area unsightly for future visitors.”
Reporter Perry Backus can be reached at 523-5259 or at pbackus@missoulian.com
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