This, the fifth of the six markers, tells of how and what was done to accomplish the massive cleanup of the Milltown Superfund Site. The markers are at the end of a paved walking path which leads downhill from a parking area on Deer Creek Road. Access to the road is from Highway 200 in Bonner via Speedway Avenue.
The 500 acre park extends from the Clark Fork River, just north of the confluence, up the slope to forested lands above. Much of the park is still undergoing restoration and is expected to be fully open by 2015. The viewpoint has an excellent view of the cleanup site, including the old dam site. Though the dam has been mostly removed, its footings remain under water and the old powerhouse to the north of the dam remains in place. From this viewpoint one may also see the 1921 roadway bridge in the distance as well as two of the original Great Northern railway bridges.
Building a River's Future
Biologists, engineers, and construction crews worked together to build an entirely new river channel and floodplain through the former reservoir area, stretching more than three miles upstream on the Clark Fork from the dam site. The state-led project, estimated at more than $10 million, returns natural functions to the river and restores pre-dam fish and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation, such as cottonwood, willow, and alder, has been planted throughout the reconstructed floodplain. The stumps seen in the floodplain are the remnants of trees—some nearly 200 years old—cut prior to dam construction.
RESTORING INDIGENOUS SPECIES--AND WAYS OF LIFE
The damming of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers in 1908 was one chapter in the transformation of western Montana, in which indigenous ways of life and native plants and animals were pushed to the brink. In recent decades, within and beyond the Flathead Indian Reservation, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have worked to revitalize their traditional cultures and to heal a landscape damaged by over a century of abuse. Here at Milltown, the tribes—exercising their rights to off-reservation resources reserved under the 1855 Hellgate Treaty—work as crucial partners in the removal of the dam and the recovery of the upper Clark Fork River system.
FROM SUPERFUND SITE TO STATE PARK
Building on the river restoration work is a redevelopment effort that brought together local residents and river stakeholders to plan for the future of the Milltown site. Years of collaborative work led to the creation of a community council, the construction of trails and a new Blackfoot River pedestrian bridge, numerous efforts to preserve local history, and the capstone achievement: the creation of Milltown State Park.
DID YOU KNOW?
Seeds from native plants, uncovered after spending a century buried beneath more than 20 feet of mud, have started to grow.
MILLTOWN SUPERFUND TIMELINE
1908
Milltown Reservoir flooded with contaminated sediments.
1980
Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), better known as the Superfund law.
1981
Arsenic discovered in Milltown drinking water; homes placed on bottled water.
1983
Milltown Reservoir listed as the first federal Superfund Site in Montana; the State of Montana sues ARCO for natural resource damages at Milltown and other upper Clark Fork River sites.
1985
New, safe drinking water well installed for Milltown residents.
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1996
Study of possible cleanup options nearly completed. Ice jam occurs.
1997
EPA and State begin multi-year effort to reevaluate and expand possible cleanup and restoration options.
2000
Dam removal and cleanup is proposed by Missoula County and the Clark Fork Coalition.
2003
Milltown Superfund Redevelopment Working Group begins community and park planning work.
2004
EPA and the State of Montana propose dam removal.
2005
The State of Montana, the United States, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, ARCO and NorthWestern Corporation reach a negotiated agreement to remove the dam and contaminated sediments and restore the river and floodplain.
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2007
Clark Fork bypass channel built; sediment removal begins.
2008
Milltown Dam powerhouse demolished; dam breached.
2009
Dam's spillway removed; sediment removal concludes.
2009-2012
Roughly 17,000 feet of river channel and 400 acres of floodplain are reconstructed in former reservoir area.
2010
Clark Fork River diverted into new channel.
2010-2012
State of Montana acquires former reservoir and surrounding lands to create Milltown State Park and begins park development.
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From the marker