Cleanup planned for polluted site in Evergreen
The state has given the green light to a plan to clean up a 57-acre contaminated Evergreen area.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality announced its go-ahead decision and a $32 million budget on Monday.
Realistically, actual on-the-ground cleanup might not begin until 2010, since about a year of preparation work is needed, said Sandi Olsen, administrator of the DEQ's remediation division.
Parts of the site could take one year to clean up, other parts could take up to 10 years, and some spots are expected to take longer, the state's plan said.
The cleanup work will consist of tilling soil so oxygen can break down some contaminants, using chemical oxidants for the same purpose, injecting neutralizing chemicals into the ground, and removing contaminated soil - some to be reburied in safer spots on the site and some to be taken to special landfills or incinerators elsewhere.
After each segment is cleaned up, it will become available for some type of development.
Wood preservatives and petroleum products contaminated the soil and groundwater in much of the site.
These substances contain chemicals that might cause cancer, reproductive and brain-related developmental problems, as well as damaging immune systems.
The site is between Whitefish Stage Road and U.S. 2. The land is just north of the McElroy & Wilken gravel pit. It stretches east from the old Kalispell Pole & Timber Co. location to the Office Max site on U.S. 2.
The pollutants come from the no-longer-there Kalispell Pole & Timber, Reliance Refinery and Yale Oil Refinery.
Kalispell Pole & Timber spilled and leaked petroleum, dioxins and wood preservatives containing pentachlorophenol from 1973 to 1990. Reliance leaked petroleum and lead from 1924 into the 1960s. Yale leaked petroleum from 1938 to 1978.
The aquifer extends from 15 feet below the ground's surface to 120 feet deep.
State calculations estimate that:
. About 189,000 cubic yards of soil are contaminated.
. About 54 million gallons of groundwater are contaminated in the upper aquifer.
. About 2.5 million gallons of groundwater are contaminated in the lower aquifer.
. About 190,000 gallons of contaminant are floating on top of the aquifer.
. An estimated 3,126 cubic yards of contaminated sludge are in the site.
The state has named seven companies and agencies - former owners and users of the site - as legally required to help pay for the $32 million clean-up bill.
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Exxon Mobil Corp., Swank Enterprises, Kalispell Pole & Timber, Montana Mokko Inc. and Klingler Lumber Co. have signed agreements to help pay.
The state and BNSF Railway Co. are in litigation regarding the railroad's share of the costs.
The state's share - due to DNRC's obligation - is $7.7 million. The rest is supposed to come from the legally liable private businesses.
The state DEQ looked at cleanup plans with price tags ranging from $4.6 million to $121 million. All the plans that would cost less than $32 million would not clean up the site to meet the state's legal obligations and standards, Olsen said.
The plans include almost $20 million in capital costs to set up individual cleanup projects, and roughly $12 million - estimated at slightly less than $900,000 annually in the early years - in operating and maintenance costs.
Several Flathead state legislators protested a $29 million estimated in February, arguing that it was too high and would put too much of a burden on the state's coffers. Some also said the cleanup efforts are proceeding too slowly.
These legislators were Sens. Greg Barkus, Verdell Jackson and Jerry O'Neil, as well as Reps. Bill Beck, Mark Blasdel, George Everett, Bill Jones, Jon Sonju, Janna Taylor and Craig Witte. All are Republicans.