BUTTE -This summer, the plan is to start moving the more than 1 million cubic yards of contaminated dirt from Butte's Silver Bow corridor and deposit it at the Butte Mine Waste Repository northeast of town.
“This is a large project, and I think it will show the level of activity and our commitment to delivering on the regulatory requirements of the consent decree and also our commitments that we made to the community,” ARCO Liability Manager Josh Bryson said.
The Atlantic Richfield had considered other sites to dump the materials around Butte, including the Berkeley Pit. The Butte Mine Waste Repository, located near the Granite Mountain Memorial, was chosen because it’s owned by the county and has the capacity to handle the dump load.
A massive cleanup project is coming to Butte this summer - Over 1 million cubic yards of contaminated dirt will be moved. Watch for route details.
“Why not take advantage of the bird in hand and go ahead and put it at the Butte Mine Waste Repository and allow us to get to work,” Bryson said.
Another important aspect of this project is the haul route to move the contaminated dirt to the repository. The one being considered would require haul trucks to travel about 1.5 miles through town.
Hop in the car with me, and we’ll take a ride together along the proposed haul route. So after leaving the construction site, the plan is for the trucks to take a right and head north on Kaw Street and then take a right on Front Street. And the haul trucks will continue heading east on Front Street through this light commercial and residential area. And then the trucks will make a left at the first traffic light on Civic Center Road.
Once they’re on Civic Center Road, the trucks will pull over and transfer the waste into larger trucks that will transport the material on Montana Resources' property up to the repository.
"This is the most direct route we can find to get to the Butte Mine Waste Repository, and that’s one of Butte-Silver Bow’s priorities, to minimize those miles that we spend on public roads," Bryon said.
Some residents are in favor of the initial plans.
“The fact that ARCO finally has a chance after a long time to finally move some dirt is really great to see them have a chance to finally do so,” Butte resident and business owner John McKee said.
Work is expected to begin in August.
