Restoration plans concern councilors

The Whitefish City Council continued to raise questions and concerns about the ongoing Whitefish River cleanup following a presentation at their Oct. 19 meeting by the Environmental Protection Agency's on-scene coordinator.

Duc Nguyen said good weather has helped Granite Construction Co. make time installing oil-containment booms, building a haul road from the river's edge and constructing a 720-foot long cofferdam along the north bank of the river.

The cleanup area is adjacent to an interceptor trench built in 1973 to prevent an underground plume of petroleum products originating at the BNSF Railway fueling facility from moving into the river. Nguyen said the results of an investigation of the trench's functionality, conducted this summer, "was not as bad as anticipated."

The cleanup plan calls for excavating contaminated sediments inside the cofferdam, which will then be treated and hauled off in rail cars. The booms and cofferdam will be removed by the end of November and, weather permitting, some restoration steps will be taken before cold weather moves in.

Where contamination is found, excavation will go to the high-water mark, Nguyen said. Erosion-control measures on the stream banks could include use of a bentonite-type clay material with matting and vegetation.

Rob Hagler, a consultant with Kennedy/Jenks, said revegetation might not take place this year if bad weather comes early.

Councilor John Muhlfeld had questions about restoration and erosion-control measures, how long the entire river cleanup could take, and whether the EPA had considered using a vacuum-dredge rather than cofferdams to remove contaminants.

Councilor Frank Sweeney asked what will stop contaminated sediments on the south side of the river from migrating into the area where the cleanup takes place once the cofferdam is removed.

Nguyen and Hagler explained that a mat or membrane will be nailed down between the two areas. Hagler also noted that river velocity "is very minimal."

Sweeney said he understood what they were saying "but I don't believe it."

Whitefish resident Richard Hildner told the council he was concerned about oil used to control weeds on the access road to the roundhouse continually washing down into the river and creating a sheen in the future. He also wanted to know what the EPA meant by saying the site would be 'restored to its original condition."

Casey Malmquist, who along with Dave Lesar owns the adjacent land downstream from the cleanup site, has expressed concerns in the past about EPA and BNSF consultants trespassing on their property. After seeing how the cleanup site had been 'significantly altered" — including removal of willow trees and use of heavy equipment to construct a haul road — Malmquist said he was concerned about what would happen to his property next.

"This contamination has been here 50 years — what's the hurry?" he asked.

Malmquist also wanted to know who from the city was watching the project on behalf of city residents.

Karin Hilding, the city's senior project engineer, has that assignment. She said the city has reviewed the EPA's preliminary work plan and notes that the EPA has said it's willing to take additional input, although it wants to move forward on the cleanup.

Hilding said Granite Construction Co. has hired Whitefish landscape architect Bruce Boody to help work on the stream bank restoration plan. Boody has already checked to see what native vegetation already exists at the site, she said, but the big concern is what will happen to the stream banks during spring runoff.

There are alternatives to the use of bentonite-type clay materials to stabilize stream banks, Hilding said. Many projects now use erosion-control matting held in place with "live stakings," she said — bushes and trees that grow right into the mat and help hold it in place.

The overall river cleanup will extend from the current site to several miles downstream at the JP Road bridge and could take several years to complete. That prospect has some councilors concerned.

The city needs to stay on top of the process, Sweeney said, so workers don't have to return one day and do it all over again.

City monitoring wells go in soon

By RICHARD HANNERS Whitefish Pilot

A drilling rig is scheduled to roll into Whitefish's Railway District the week of Nov. 9 and begin installing monitoring wells in three blocks adjacent to the BNSF Railway railyard.

The city will use $49,772 in grant money it received from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to hire hydrogeologist Roger Noble, of Kalispell-based Applied Water Consulting, to conduct the work.

All told, 22 wells will be installed to measure the extent of underground diesel and Bunker C fuel plumes originating on BNSF property.

The plan calls for wells in the three blocks between Baker and Miles avenues and between First Street and the BNSF property line. Monitoring wells will also be installed in one block east of Whitefish Middle School between Kalispell and Columbia avenues.

While some monitoring wells exist on private property, the vast majority of monitoring wells associated with the state Superfund site are located inside the BNSF property lines. The city needed to obtain permission from property owners to drill the monitoring wells.

Concern about the effect of suspected pollution on real estate values prompted the city to help out by arranging for the test wells. The Railway District has been undergoing a gentrification process, with millions of dollars invested in new construction.