DEQ to present update Oct. 22 on Blacktail Creek and Montana Pole Superfund sites, commissioners say

On Oct. 8, 2025, Amy Steinmetz, Waste Management and Remediation Division administrator at the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, requested the Butte-Silver Bow Council of Commissioners authorize a presentation on Oct. 22 to provide updates on the Blacktail Creek project within the Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (BPSOU) and on the Montana Pole Superfund site. The commission said it would continue to hold the item in abeyance in anticipation of the scheduled Oct. 22 presentation.

The Oct. 8 transcript records the request and the commission’s decision to await the Oct. 22 presentation; no substantive updates, timelines, remediation measures, or funding details were presented at the Oct. 8 meeting. The commission did not vote on cleanup actions or funding at the Oct. 8 session.

The item will return to the commission after DEQ staff present on Oct. 22 if the department provides recommendations or requests that require commission action.