US EPA proposes adding 3,200-acre paper mill site in Frenchtown, Montana, once owned by Smurfit-Stone, to Superfund priorities list; the former mill is associated with contamination of nearby Clark Fork River with dioxins, furans, arsenic and manganese
Debra Garcia
MISSOULA, Montana
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May 22, 2013
(Associated Press)
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A federal agency has proposed adding the former Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. paper mill site in Frenchtown to the Superfund National Priorities List.
The site near the Clark Fork River is contaminated with dioxins, furans, arsenic and manganese associated with the former mill's wastewater and sludge ponds. The EPA says no private residential or municipal drinking water wells appear to have been affected. Missoula County commissioners, the Tribal Council of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and former Gov. Brian Schweitzer have expressed support for the listing.
The 3,200-acre site is among nine that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed adding to the Superfund list Tuesday. The public has 60 days to comment on the proposed listing, which would make the sites eligible for more cleanup resources.
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