Missoula County commissioners are hoping to meet with regional leaders of the US Environmental Protection Agency to get an update on plans for cleaning up contamination at the old Smurfit Stone mill site.
But with the government shutdown continuing, plans for meeting with EPA next week look like they will have to be postponed.
Smurfit tour shows expanse, complexities of contamination sampling
County commissioners sent an invitation last week to Allie Archer, who’s taken over from Sarah Sparks of EPA as the Remedial Project Manager for the Smurfit Stone cleanup.
Commissioners told Archer they were hoping to be updated on the additional sampling for contaminants on the mill site east of Frenchtown, including “supplemental sampling” for some of the landfills and sludge ponds around the property.
The County also wants to discuss what’s happening with a more complete contingency plan for dealing with future flooding from the Clark Fork River.
During last year’s record floods, there was considerable concern about berms along the river being breached by floodwaters.
Commissioners had hoped to meet with EPA next week, but with the federal government shutdown continuing it’s looking like that meeting will have to be postponed.
Reporting by Dennis Bragg for MTN News
