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Hello and welcome to NewsNow.
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I'm your host, Taylor Inman.
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We're going over the week's biggest headlines for Northwest Montana.
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We'll learn about an emergency bear ordinance passed by the Columbia Falls City Council this week amid an uptick in bear activity within city limits.
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We'll hear about a recent site tour of the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company plant, where Governor Greg G.
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Forte was joined by officials of Montana DEQ and the EPA as they gave an update on the Superfront site to clean up process.
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Look at the latest on Pacific Port's process to sell the Big Fork Hydroelectric Dam.
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And we'll get details on a new proposed water plan for the St.
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Mary and Milk River system, which could include utilizing inflatable dams on St.
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Mary and Lower St.
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Mary Lakes.
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The Columbia Falls City Council passed an emergency bear ordinance this week that requires people to secure garbage and other attractants from bears roaming into town.
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The vote was unanimously in favor.
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Like in 2022, when the city first passed an ordinance related to bears, it's been a bad berry year, and bruins have been frequenting city limits in the past few weeks as they look to fatten up before winter hibernation.
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The bulk of reports have come from the city's east side, where neighborhoods are closer to the mountains.
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The bears can easily show up anywhere as they follow the Flathead River downstream.
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The emergency ordinance would require that garbage not be placed out on the curb before 4 a.m.
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the day of pickup.
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It also requires that all garbage and recycling containing food residue, food waste, and other attractants stored outdoors shall be maintained in a bear-resistant container, within a secured structure or within a secured enclosure, such as a garage or a secured and locked shed.
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It also prohibits leaving out pet feed from a secured enclosure, has provisions for securing garbage from commercial establishment, and makes it illegal to purposely feed bears.
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The law said that garbage or recycling containing food residue, food waste, or other attractants shall not be accumulated or left exposed in pickup beds, utility trailers, open yards, open porches, unsecured containers or vehicles not designed for refuse transport.
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Although the law is more of an educational vehicle.
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In the first 14 calendar days following the adoption of the ordinance, the city will prioritize public education, voluntary compliance, and written warnings whenever practical.
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Although people who ignore the warnings could be cited, with citations being issued when the violation creates an immediate threat to public health or safety, results in a documented bear conflict, continues or reoccurs after a written warning, or the responsible person refuses to correct the violation after notice.
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The ordinance recommends removing or emptying bird feeders during periods of bear activity, promptly harvesting ripe fruit or removing fallen fruit from the ground, cleaning and storing grills, smokers, coolers, and food preparation equipment in secured areas, installing and properly maintaining electric fencing around attractants when appropriate, securing chicken coops, livestock feet, compost, and other potential attractants, using bear-resistant waste containers whenever possible, or utilizing the Flathead County solid waste container site in Columbia Falls when secure on-site storage is not available.
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The city is also currently investigating long-term measures, likely through zoning, that would make some sections of the law permanent, depending on where the person lives in the city.
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Remediation of the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company Superfund site will likely wrap up by 2029, mere years after cleanup efforts began on one of Montana's most polluted post-industrial sites.
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At a September 17th tour of the site, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin said that some of the Superfund sites he's visited are facing decades of work.
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But in Columbia Falls, they are, quote, at a very important milestone moment, where there is so much incredible progress imminently ahead on the project.
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End quote.
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Governor Greg G.
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Forte accompanied Zeldin on the tour, along with about a dozen employees from the federal and state environmental agencies and proxies from the offices of Representative Ryan Zinke and U.S.
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Senators Steve Danes and Tim Shehey.
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The Blazer Clad officials gathered under a bluebird sky outside the remnants of the old smelting plant, which sits just northeast of Columbia Falls and near the banks of the Flathead River, and caravanned along the Reddit Dirt Road to witness the sites that the EPA identified as sources of the toxic pollution.
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The site operated under various owners from 1955 until 2009, generating hundreds of thousands of tons of waste in the form of spent potliner material.
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The aluminum byproduct is a federally listed hazardous waste because it contains cyanide that can leach into
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the soil and groundwater.
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Concerns about lingering effects from spent potliners spurred the EPA to add the 3,200 acre property to the national priorities list in 2016.
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Designation on the list, which is more commonly known as Superfund, streamlines the federal government's ability to hold polluting companies financially liable for cleanup.
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Columbia Falls Aluminum Company, the most recent facility operator, agreed in August of 2026 to pay$57.6 million for remediation of the site.
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The prize tag covers a suite of cleanup operations, including excavation and removal of contaminated soils, installation of several protective barriers in former landfill locations, and long-term monitoring of the site.
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The first leg of the cleanup, excavating an estimated 67,500 cubic yards of soil contaminated by arsenic and other potentially harmful materials, will likely be completed this month, according to EPA Remedial Project Manager Allie Archer.
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She told tour participants that they're going to see some of that cleanup in action, pointing to areas of the site where the top two feet of soil were identified to have elevated contaminants.
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She said they are currently in the process of cleaning up the contamination and disposing of it on site in the landfill.
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Several pre-existing landfills are expected to receive improved caps and soil covers by the end of October 2026, which will prevent potentially toxic refuge from bleaching into the nearby environment and minimize the potential for human and animal exposure.
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Once that is complete, attention will shift to construction of an underground concrete barrier known as a slurry wall, which will separate contaminated groundwater from the rest of the aquifer and ensure pollutants are kept from spilling into the Flathead River.
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When the plant was in operation, the field functioned as a landfill and sledge pond where workers deposited spent, potliner, and other refuge from the smelting process.
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Groundwater samples collected between 2016 and 2018 from beneath the field revealed cyanide concentrations of up to a thousand times the threshold considered safe for drinking water.
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Fluoride concentrations in some samples also exceeded safe levels for drinking water.
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Levels of both chemicals dissipated as the groundwater moved away from the area underlying the landfill and sludge pond, and the groundwater samples taken nearest the Flathead River had cyanide and fluoride concentrations within the perimeters for safe drinking water.
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Samples taken from wells in the nearby neighborhood of Aluminum City also showed no elevated levels of either chemical.
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Archer said that they've always seen the contaminated groundwater naturally attenuating as it makes its way toward the river, which is why they haven't seen impacts in the Flathead River, but added that the slurry wall will ensure that good water quality will persist into the future.
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The barrier will likely be completed by 2029, marking the conclusion of the cleanup effort.
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Long-term monitoring, including regular groundwater sampling, will continue to ensure all landfill caps and the slurry wall remain effective.
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Columbia Falls Lunum Company will retain ownership of 200 acres of their remediated land, including the former landfills and sludge pond, into perpetuity.
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The sheer amount of spent potliner in the area means the land and underlying groundwater will never likely be considered safe for other uses, according to Archer.
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The remainder of the site has already exchanged ownership.
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After extensive testing by the EPA, turned up no significant health risks.
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Columbia Falls developer Mick Ruiz purchased 2,300 acres of the former site, 76 acres of which are slated for a residential subdivision.
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Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks purchased another 772 acres of undeveloped land from the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company in 2021.
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That parcel, which sits across from the Flathead River and former smelting facility, is now known as the Bad Rock Canyon Wildlife Management Area.
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Following the tour, Jean Forte said that it's great to hear about future plans to redevelop the site and that he looks forward to seeing continued progress.
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Along with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, he thanked the Environmental Protection Agency for taking decisive action to return the site to productive use.
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The Big Fork Hydroelectric Project is for sale, and Pacific Corps, the electric company that owns the dam, reports that it has received multiple proposals from parties interested in taking over the project.
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Offers were accepted through September 4th.
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Pacific Corps Communications Specialist Drew Marine wrote in an email to the Big Fork Eagle that they expect to take some time to consider the proposals, then enter into discussions with one or multiple parties.
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Marine said the outcome may not be known until early 2027.
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Pacific Corps declined to share the number of proposals received or the names of the interested parties at this stage of the sale process, which remains a private business decision and is not subject to public comment,
according to Marine.
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The proposals being considered would include taking over the current hydroelectric project license with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, also known as FERC, and continuing to operate the dam.
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These proposals are not related to the decommissioning process.
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Marine said their hope is to find a new owner that will take over the existing FERC license and continue to operate the project as it does today, including maintaining existing public recreation access and opportunities for the community.
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Pacific Corps announced in June that it planned to sell the dam, which it has owned since 1954 and licensed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission since 1976.
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The company cited more rigid federal dam safety criteria that would require significant investment as the primary reason for selling the dam.
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The current license operated by Pacific Corps is for a 50-year term and is slated to expire in July of 2053.
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When it announced its plans, Pacific Corps said its intention was to sell the project and the surrounding land, which includes Slider Park and portions of the Swan River Nature Trail, to a party that would continue to operate the dam and keep those spaces open for public use.
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However, Pacific Corps also said that if it was unable to find an interested buyer to take over the federal license, the company would pursue the decommissioning and possible removal of the dam.
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Such a possibility was met with concern from local organizations like the Community Foundation for a Better Big Fork and the Big Fork Community Alliance, who worried about the future of events like the annual Whitewater Festival and the fate of Slider Park and the Swan River Nature Trail, as well as the possibility that the land could be developed.
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Under the Federal License Agreement, Pacific Corps is required to provide access to public waterways and manage public recreation sites.
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If a new operator takes over the license, those requirements would still be in place, according to the company.
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While the Big Fork Dam is a small run-of-the-river dam that no longer provides electricity to the community, the dam has been in existence longer than the village of Big Fork.
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A study released earlier this summer suggests that inflatable dams on the St.
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Mary and Lower St.
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Mary lakes could help in relieving future water use conflicts on the St.
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Mary and Milk River systems.
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St.
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Mary Lake is in Glacier National Park and Lower St.
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Mary Lake is on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
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The iconic lakes are currently not under any water control measures.
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The International St.
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Mary and Milk River study, published in July, takes a long look at both river systems and the water usage in both the U.S.
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and Canada, as well as the impending impacts of climate change.
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One suggestion to keep the systems irrigating crops and providing water for the communities in their drainages is to install inflatable dams that would keep the water at a height of close to or near the regular high water mark for a longer period of time.
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The water, in essence, would be stored for later use in the summer for crop irrigation on both sides of the border.
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Glacier National Park is already greatly impacted by the system, in particular by the Sherburne Dam, which holds back water from Swift Quare Creek flowing out of the Mini Glacier Valley.
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The seasonal rise and fall of Sherburne Lake results in a largely barren shoreline deep inside the boundaries of the park.
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Water from Sherburne Lake is diverted for irrigation and other uses farther downstream in both Canada and the U.S.
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The St.
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Mary Canal, built in 1915, draws water off of the St.
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Mary River below Lower St.
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Mary Lake and 29 miles later dumps it into the North Fork of the Milk River.
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The North Fork of the Milk River flows into Canada, where it's used for crop irrigation and municipal water.
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It parallels the U.S.-Canada border for about 90 miles and then flows back into the U.S.
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northeast of Haver, where it's dammed to create the Fresno Reservoir.
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The 140 plus page study recommends a host of other measures to keep the proverbial water flowing into the future, as climate change promises warmer winters with less snow and hotter summers that will result in more usage.
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The study doesn't dive into the details of the proposed inflatable dams or how exactly they would work.
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It does state that the inflatable dams create a storage in both upper and lower St.
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Mary lakes by retaining the spring freshette until later into the irrigation season.
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Lake levels will not exceed the typical high water level naturally achieved.
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Seasonal maximum combined storage of both lakes is 16,800 acre feet.
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An acre foot of water, which is the amount of water to cover one acre of land with one foot of water, is about 325,000 gallons, so both dams would potentially hold back about 5.4 billion gallons of water.
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With additional administrative changes to how water is managed and allocated, the study suggested that both countries in the future would have most of their water entitlements maintained at 100% or close to it for the next 100 years.
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The study now goes before the International Joint Commission for further review.
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A public comment period for the document ended on August 31st.
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To read this full story, visit HungryHorsenews.com.
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Thanks for joining us.
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News Now is a podcast from the Daily Interlake.
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We're proud to be the largest independent newsroom in Montana and the longest continuously published newspaper in the region.
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Today's stories are written by Big Fork Eagle Reporter Elsa Erickson, Hungry Horse News Editor Chris Peterson, and Daily Interlake reporter Haley Smalley.
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You can read the full versions of these stories at dailyinterlake.com.
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Everybody stay safe and have a great week.