A year ago this month, the Environmental Protection Agency recommended a comprehensive Superfund cleanup for the 32-hundred acre industrial site that housed the former Smurfit-Stone pulp and paper mill.
The former mill sits 11-miles northwest of Missoula and operated from 1957 to early 2010. Toxic by-products were created during the manufacturing process; some of which still contaminate the site which is now owned by M2Green.
The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks issued a "do not eat" advisory last year for northern pike and a "four meal per month" limit for rainbow trout.
Talk of that potential Superfund designation has been fairly subdued over the past year.
A public briefing today presented by the Clark Fork Coalition advances the story on a couple of different fronts.
The Coalition was founded in 1985 to protect and restore the Clark Fork Watershed.
In this evening's feature interview, Edward O'Brien talks about the latest developments with C-F-C Executive Director, Karen Knudsen; Science Director, Chris Brick and Missoula County Water Quality District Supervisor, Peter Nielson.
Nielson says the public commented on the proposal last summer: