English

Abstract

The of Montana will restore the confluence of Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers following the removal of the Milltown Dam and some of the contaminated sediments located there. The Restoration Plan for the Clark Fork River and Blackfoot River Near Milltown Dam - October 2005, describes the restoration actions that are currently being planned (WestWater Consulting et al., 2005). In order for the restoration activities to occur, a portion of the project needs to be integrated with the EPA Superfund remedy for the Milltown Reservoir Sediments Operable Unit (USEPA, 2004). EPA, the State of Montana, ARCO, Northwestern, and Envirocon all participated in this integration process through the negotiation of the consent decree and it's attachments, principally the Statement of Work, which outlines who will implement various aspects of the remedial and restoration actions (Envirocon, 2005). The integration limits full restoration of all the natural river processes, but this is a concession that is outweighed by the benefits and cost savings of integration. All river and stream restoration projects have site constraints, e.g., landownership, roads, property lines, etc. The Milltown restoration project's integration with remediation results in additional constraints beyond the typical ones: legal constraints required by a consent decree, contaminated material remaining within the restoration work area, geographic limits to the project area, and negotiated actions. In order, to be successful the State and the other natural resource trustees have established goals and objectives for this project that considers the integration.