MISSOULA, – Stimson Lumber Co. has agreed to remove a PCB-laced cooling pond and berm on the Blackfoot River in Bonner.
The announcement by the company on Thursday means it will pay for the $6 million remediation project.
Work to remove about 8,500 dump truck loads of contaminated materials is scheduled to begin in September and continue through November, during the river’s low-flow season.
In December the state sued the lumber company demanding it remove the berm of the cooling pond as well as the contaminants, arguing that it trespasses on a public waterway.
Bill Kirley is chief remediation counsel for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. He says removing the berm and cooling pond is a big victory for the river’s protection.