Toxins, Heavy Metals and Bad Water: Cleanup of the Smurfit-Stone Mill Site

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. 

Elena Evans of the Missoula Valley Water Quality District sat down with the commissioners this week to discuss what lies ahead for Smurfit-Stone, how the Environmental Protection Agency is involved, the threat of flooding and much more.

Image: Aerial view of Smurfit-Stone retaining ponds and the Clark Fork River in 2018, photo by Chris Boyer of Kestrel Aerial Services.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Smurfit-Stone Story MapFrenchtown/Smurfit-Stone Community Advisory GroupMissoula County Water Quality District history of Smurfit-StoneEnvironmental Protection Agency's Smurfit-Stone profile

Recent news articles about Smurfit-Stone:

"Missoula County Objects to Change in Smurfit Water Right, Wants Taxes Paid" Missoula Current, March 7, 2023"How Toxic Are the Grounds of a Former Pulp Mill Along the Clark Fork River?" MTPR, Jan. 26, 2023

Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!