Region 8
Superfund Program
National Information
Regional Information
Site Information
National Priorities List (NPL) History
Proposed Date
10/15/1984
Final Date
6/10/1986
Construction Completion Date
3/26/1998
Idaho Pole Co.
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Site Type: Final NPL City: Bozeman County: Gallatin Street Address: Cedar St. ZIP Code: 59715 EPA ID: MTD006232276 SSID: 0862 Site Aliases: Idaho Pole Company Congressional District: At Large |
What's New?
The Idaho Pole five-year review is complete. The five-year review is a regular checkup on a Superfund site to ensure that cleanup decisions continue to protect people and the environment. This third five-year review has determined that the remedial actions at the site are protective in the short term. Three issues are identified where some follow-up action is needed before the site is protective of human health and the environment in the long term.
One of the issues was completed on September 13, 2010 when the Idaho Pole Co. filed a Notice of Institutional Control with the Gallatin County Clerk and Recorder. This notice restricts the use of the Idaho Pole site property to mitigate the risk posed to the public health, safety, and welfare and the environment by imposing appropriate Institutional Controls on the property, the purpose of which is to ensure the permanent preservation and maintenance of remedial structures that are required to minimize potential for human exposure and/or protect the integrity of the remedy. With the filing of this notice, EPA was able to make a Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use determination for the site.
The Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use measure was developed to comply with EPA's responsibility to report to Congress long-term outcome-based accomplishments under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). This measure also reflects the high priority EPA places on land revitalization as an integral part of the Agency's cleanup mission for the Superfund program, as well as the priority EPA is now placing on post-construction activities at NPL sites. The documents are available below in the Site Documents section.
Site Description
The Idaho Pole Co. Superfund Site is located near the northern limits of Bozeman, Montana and occupies approximately 60 acres in the east half of Section 6 and the west half of Section 5, Township 2S, Range 6E of Gallatin County. The site includes Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) property right of way, which is leased to Montana Rail Link; land owned by Northwestern Energy, including the East Gallatin substation; privately-owned land west and east of Rocky Creek, industrial areas to the south and west and a portion of I-90, Cedar Street and Bohart Lane which transect the site.
The Idaho Pole Co. (IPC) wood treating facility began operation in 1945 using creosote to preserve wood. In 1952, the company switched to pentachlorophenol in carrier oil (similar to fuel oil) for the wood treating solution. IPC wood treating equipment included butt and pole length treating vats. In 1975, a pressurized heated retort was added for treating full length poles. The pole length vats were removed in the early 1980s. There was also a drying area where treated poles were stored prior to shipment. IPC continued wood treating with a pressurized heated retort and butt dipping vat until September 1997 when IPC ceased wood-treating operations.
Site Risk
In 1978, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks notified the Montana Department of Health & Environment (MDHES), of a suspected release of oily wood treating fluid from the plant. MDHES found evidence of a release in ditches near the facility and near Rocky Creek. Consequently, MDHES issued a compliance order on September 29, 1978, notifying IPC of statutory violations and directing the company to stop uncontrolled releases and to clean up spilled treating fluid. The company built an interceptor trench along a portion of the property line to halt some of the PCP from entering the groundwater. In 1983, EPA and the State sampled the trench and found that PCP was moving away from the plant. EPA proposed the facility for the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1984, 29 FR 40320 (October 15, 1984). The listing was final in 1986, 51 FR 21054 (June 10, 1986).
The main reason for putting this site on the NPL was that groundwater beneath the site had become contaminated with oily wood treating fluid that had spilled, dripped or discharged onto the ground surface. The oily wood treating fluid migrated downward, contaminating the soil that it passed through, and entered the groundwater. Some of this fluid made its way to the surface of groundwater, and some of the fluid attached to soil particles above and below the water table. And a portion of this fluid dissolved in groundwater where it migrated down gradient toward potential human and ecological receptors, preventing the groundwater from being used for its designated classifications, beneficial uses, and specific standards.
| Media Affected | Contaminants | Source of Contamination |
| groundwater, sediment, surface water, soils | pentachlorophenol (PCP), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dioxins | wood-product treatment |
Cleanup Progress
A Record of Decision (ROD) selecting the site remedy was issued in September 1992 and subsequent Explanations of Significant Differences (ESDs) issued in 1996 and 1998. The site has one operable unit and includes all known sources and contaminated media for the site. The remedy is comprised of two components: soils and groundwater. The ROD established performance standards for those contaminants of concern at the site for both soil and groundwater that was predicated on the fact that long-term groundwater protection could only be achieved if the soil, acting as a source on contamination no longer contributed contaminants to the groundwater and the existing groundwater would be treated until performance standards are met to ensure that contamination does not migrate any further.
The objective of the response actions implemented in the 1992 ROD as well as subsequent ESDs was to alleviate the primary threats to human health and the environment posed by contaminant sources and contaminant migration. Specifically, the response actions proposed for the site by EPA and Montana Department of Environmental Quality were designed to prevent human exposure to contaminated soils by treating and ultimately disposing of contaminated soils in a lined LTU. The protection of the environment was to be accomplished through contaminant source removal as well as the cleanup of contaminated media through enhanced in situ biodegradation processes designed exclusively for the contaminated soils at the site.
Soils
The Idaho Pole Co. began the soil excavation portion of the cleanup in 1995. The company dug up soils and constructed a land treatment unit. Approximately 19,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil were excavated and placed in the LTU for treatment. The soils were excavated from six areas at the site: the Pressure Plant Area, beneath Cedar Street, the Barkfill Area, the Roundhouse Area, the Cedar Street Ditch and the Pasture Area. In summer 1999, the company demolished and disposed of structures, and excavated and excavated additional contaminated soil from underneath the demolished structures. Normal LTU operations continued through October 2000. LTU operations ceased in October 2000, when the ROD performance standards for PCP and PAHs were determined to have been met. Plans were made for LTU closure. All the construction requirements for treatment of the soils at this site have been met as described in the Preliminary Site Close Out Report dated March 21, 1998 and the Remedial Action Completion Report dated December 23, 2002.
Groundwater
The groundwater component consists of an extraction/injection system with carbon treatment and an in-situ bioremediation component. The groundwater treatment system began operation in February 1997 and approximately 380,925,600 gallons have been processed through December 2008. A down gradient product recovery trench is used to recover oil from under Interstate 90. Both systems are operating as designed and continue to remove contaminants from the groundwater. The dissolved contaminant plume associated with the site has stabilized and has decreased slightly in concentration and series of wells are monitored quarterly. Eight residential wells down gradient are tested for pentachlorophenol annually using EPA Method 8041. Test results from the residential well monitoring program indicate that contaminants have not been detected in residential wells at reported detection limits. One residential well is sampled semi-annually because PCP concentrations are detected. However, this property is owned by IPC and the water is not used. The groundwater component of the remedy at the Idaho Pole Co. site is protective of human health and the environment.
Community Involvement
Community involvement plays an important role in the Superfund process. EPA uses a number of different tools and resources to promote effective, on-going, meaningful community involvement. The goals of the Superfund community involvement program are to:
- Keep communities affected by sites informed throughout the cleanup process.
- Provide opportunities for communities to comment and offer their input about site cleanup plans.
- Facilitate the resolution of community issues tied to a site.
Reuse
EPA places a high priority on land reuse as part of its Superfund response program mission. The agency tries to select cleanup options that encourage and support future use of a site. EPA uses two fundamental methods to facilitate reuse of Superfund sites:
- Exploring future uses before the cleanup remedy is implemented, an approach that gives the Agency the best chance of designing cleanup remedies to support the likely future use of a site.
- Working with landowners and communities to remove barriers not considered necessary for the protection of human health or the environment at those sites where remedies are already in place.
One option for reuse is the siting of clean and renewable energy projects on contaminated (or formerly contaminated) lands. As part of this effort, EPA is evaluating the potential for energy projects on these properties and working with landowners and communities to identify ways to remove barriers to such projects.
Land Use Controls and Other Institutional Controls
Land use controls are the most common type of institutional control (IC). ICs are administrative or legal controls that help reduce the likelihood for human exposure to contamination. ICs can also help protect the integrity of the remedy. Examples of ICs are:
- Zoning ordinances.
- Environmental covenants.
- Deed notices.
- Well-drilling restrictions.
- Building permits.
- Informational advisories.
Contaminated soil excavated from the site was successfully treated and then used as backfill in several areas on IPC property. Treated soil was placed above historic high groundwater levels and covered with a minimum of twelve inches of fill material to prevent direct contact risk. The LTU was subsequently decommissioned and closed in accordance with an EPA-approved closure plan. On September 13, 2010, the Idaho Pole Co. filed a Notice of Institutional Control with the Gallatin County Clerk and Recorder. This notice restricts the use of the Idaho Pole site property to mitigate the risk posed to the public health, safety, and welfare and the environment by imposing appropriate Institutional Controls on the Property, the purpose of which is to ensure the permanent preservation and maintenance of remedial structures that are required to minimize potential for human exposure and/or protect the integrity of the remedy.
A Controlled Groundwater Use Area was designated in 2001, the purpose of which is to prevent construction of new wells that may pose a threat to human health and to protect the groundwater remedy.
Five-Year Reviews
EPA or the lead agency conducts five-year reviews following the start of a Superfund cleanup when contamination is left on the site. These reviews are repeated every five years. We use these reviews to determine:
- How the remedy is working.
- If the remedy remains protective of human health and the environment.
The third five-year review determined that the remedial actions at the site are protective in the short term. Three issues were identified where some follow-up action is needed before the site is protective of human health and the environment in the long term. The next five-year review will be completed by September 2015.
Site Documents
Note: Best way to open a very large file: right-click and save it to a folder.
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
Soil Management Plan, March 2011 (PDF, 36 pp, 15.6MB)
Annual Update to the Five-Year Review, January 2011 (PDF, 2 pp, 55K)
Notice of Institutional Controls, September 9, 2010 (PDF, 10 pp, 1.7MB)
Third Five-Year Review Report, September 2010 (PDF, 118 pp, 12.9MB)
Superfund Property Reuse Evaluation Checklist for Reporting the Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use GPRA Measure, September 2010 (PDF, 3 pp, 186K)
Remedial System Evaluation: Final Report, February 11, 2010 (PDF, 74 pp, 5MB)
Idaho Pole Fact Sheet, December 2009 (PDF, 2 pp, 224K)
Remedial Action Completion Report, December 23, 2002 (PDF, 199 pp, 23.4MB)
Designation of a Controlled Groundwater Area, November 30, 2001 (PDF, 6 pp, 757K)
Explanation of Significant Differences, November 27, 1998 (PDF, 8 pp, 42K)
Preliminary Site Close Out Report, March 21, 1998 (PDF, 11 pp, 639K)
Explanation of Significant Differences, May 21, 1996 (PDF, 8 pp, 432K)
Record of Decision, September 28, 1992 (PDF, 224 pp, 12MB)
Contacts
EPA
Roger Hoogerheide
Remedial Project Manager
U.S. EPA, Montana Office
10 West 15th Street, Suite 3200
Helena, MT 59626
406-457-5031
866-457-2690 (toll free)
hoogerheide.roger@epa.gov
MDEQ
Lisa Dewitt
Project Officer
Montana Department of Environmental Quality
1100 North Last Chance Gulch
P.O. Box 200901
Helena, MT 59620-0901
406-841-5037
800-246-8198 (toll free in-state only)
lidewitt@mt.gov
View Documents at:
Bozeman Public Library
626 East Main
Bozeman, MT 59715
406-582-2400
U.S. EPA, Montana Office
10 West 15th Street, Suite 3200
Helena, MT 59626
406-441-1128
Photo/Video Gallery
Click on a thumbnail below to view the full size image.
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Groundwater remediation system plant exterior
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Groundwater remediation system plant interior
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Groundwater remediation system plant interior
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South side of I-90 facing south
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South side of I-90 facing north
Links
Montana Department of Environmental Quality – Federal Superfund Program