Gallatin County, MT - Idaho Pole Company Site Controlled Ground Water Area

Location: An approximately 62 acre area in the east half of Section 6 and the west half of Section 5, both in Township 2 South, Range 6 East. Located at northeast of Bozeman extending beyond I-90.

Legal Description: W1/2 SW1/2, W1/2 NW1/4 of Section 5 and the SE1/4 NE1/4, SE1/4 of Section 6, both in Township 2 South, Range 6 East in Gallatin County.

Replacement wells for existing appropriations will be allowed as authorized by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

This controlled ground water area does not apply to wells for remedial, response, or restoration actions authorized or undertaken by the United States Environmental Protection Agency or the State of Montana.

All new monitoring wells drilled within this controlled ground water area shall be installed in accordance with the EPA-approved Standard Operating Procedure for monitoring well design and construction.

(Adapted from Montana's Basin Closures and Controlled Groundwater Areas, December 2001, Water Resources Division, DNRC)

The Idaho Pole Company began treating wood products with creosote in 1946 at this 50 acre site in Bozeman. In 1952, the company switched to pentachlorophenol (PCP) in the wood-treating process. The facility closed in 1997.

The site is bordered on the north and west by residential and industrial areas. Agriculture and residential areas lie to the south and east. The nearest home is less than one-half mile from the site. About 1,250 people live within three miles and use ground water as a drinking water source.

Ground water in the area is shallow and flows north to northwest, discharging into Rocky Creek. The State found quantities of PCP in a tributary of Rocky Creek in 1978. Access to the site is restricted by a barbed wire fence and warning signs.

The facility has a history of contamination problems with surface water discharge. Past spills and disposal practices have resulted in soil, ground water and surface water contamination with PCP and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Surface water on the site contains PCP. Ditches and trenches on the site contained various forms of dioxins and organic compounds. Accidental ingestion of or direct contact with contaminated ground water, soil or surface water are potential health risks. Surface water runoff from contaminated areas on the site could harm Rocky Creek.

After its 1978 investigation, the State issued a Compliance Order requiring the Idaho Pole Company to eliminate discharges into Rocky Creek and to stop discharging waste in areas where it was likely to pollute state waters. The company built an interceptor trench along a portion of the property line to halt some of the PCP from entering the ground water. In 1983, EPA and the State sampled the trench and found that PCP was moving away from the plant.

Federal and state agencies, together with the Potentially Responsible Parties, are addressing the cleanup of the Idaho Pole site in two stages: immediate actions and a single, long-term cleanup effort for the entire site.

Idaho Pole installed and is sampling15 monitoring wells at the site. Sludges produced in vats were placed in drums and transported to a licensed hazardous waste disposal site. The interceptor trench and absorbent pad system recover oily liquids from the ground water prior to leaving the site.

The State of Montana began an intensive study of soil and water pollution in mid-1990. This investigation determined the nature and extent of contamination at the site and recommended the best strategies for final cleanup.

A Record of Decision selecting the site remedy was issued in September 1992. The remedy consists of biological treatment of contaminated soil and ground water. Soil was excavated from the former roundhouse area, from the area north of the plant buildings and from the pasture area north of Interstate 90. Excavated soil was placed in a land treatment unit, where contaminants will be treated by naturally occurring microorganisms. Soil under Interstate 90 and the plant buildings was flushed with hot water and steam and then treated in place.

Ground water was treated at the surface and reinjected after oxygen and nutrients were added. Residential wells will continue to be sampled every three months.

Per an EPA Order, the Idaho Pole Company completed the soil portion of the cleanup in 1995. The company dug up soils and constructed a land treatment unit. Workers finished the ground water treatment in February 1997. In summer 1999, the Company demolished and disposed of structures, and excavated and treated contaminated soil from underneath the demolished structures.

EPA will conduct a five-year review in summer 2000 to determine if the remedy remains protective of human health and the environment.

Installation of the interceptor trench and absorbent pad system has successfully reduced the migration of wastes through the ground water at the Idaho Pole Company site. Contaminated soils have been removed from contact with ground water and are being biologically treated.

Cleanup construction activities were completed in March 1998. Operations and maintenance will continue as bioremediation progresses. EPA will conduct a five year review of the site in summer 2000.