At the confluence of Montana’s Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers, considered one of America’s most polluted industrial landscapes, a noticeable transformation has occurred. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) , for more than four decades, Milltown Dam trapped millions of tons of mining waste washed downstream from the Butte and Anaconda mining districts. Thus, contaminated with arsenic, copper, lead, zinc and other heavy metals, the sediment polluted groundwater, threatened aquatic life and even blocked fish migration. According to the EPA, the cleanup eventually removed over three million tons of contaminated sediment, dismantled the century-old dam and restored a free-flowing river system. Today, the former Superfund site has been reborn as Milltown State Park, a 500-acre landscape of wetlands, trails and wild habitat.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
