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EPA says it will bring federal researchers to probe PCBs in Clark Fork River after Smurfit site visit
Summary
At an Oct. 2 meeting of the Smurfit community advisory group (KAG), participants said EPA Region staff committed federal research resources to investigate whether PCBs found in local fish originate from the Smurfit (Smurfit-Stone) mill site or from other sources up- and downstream.
EPA officials and community members said federal researchers will be brought to the Clark Fork River to help determine whether polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found in fish tissue are linked to the Smurfit mill site.
The announcement came after a Sept. 24 site visit with Congressman Zinke’s staff and EPA and state officials. Brian Chapman, executive director of the Global Coalition and meeting facilitator, described the trip and repeated that EPA staff told the group they planned to bring Office of Research and Development staff to analyze broader sources of PCBs in the Clark Fork River.
Why it matters: Residents and resource managers have flagged high PCB concentrations in fish and asked whether those toxins originate from the mill or multiple upstream…
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