The site of the former Smurfit-Stone pulp mill, located west of Missoula near Frenchtown, spans 3,200 acres. The mill operated from 1957 to 2010, creating paper products from logging industry scraps and used 15 million gallons of water per day to operate. At its height, the mill was processing 1,900 tons of bleached paper products each day. What remains now are 900 acres of unlined wastewater treatment ponds, 193 acres of sludge and garbage dumps and 100 acres of industrial buildings. Given the size and scope of the site, it is unknown exactly what contaminants exist and in what quantities.
Smurfit-Stone is going through the EPA Superfund process to address risks across the entire former mill site. Contaminants of concern onsite include metals, dioxins, furans and co-planar PCBs.
More information can be found at the Frenchtown Community Advisory Group meeting the first Thursday of the month at 6pm at the Frenchtown Fire Station on Marion St.
The Water Quality District leads Missoula County review of clean-up sites to ensure clean-up protects our sole-source aquifer, limits risks to the community and environment, and that these areas can once again be put to use.