Toxic mill soil to be dumped at Missoula landfill

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By The Associated Press

Story Published: Mar 12, 2010 at 10:59 AM MDT

Story Updated: Mar 12, 2010 at 10:59 AM MDT

MISSOULA - The Montana Department of Environmental Quality says nearly 65,000 tons of toxic soil from a lumber mill will be trucked from the banks of the Blackfoot River to a Missoula landfill 12 miles away.

Keith Large with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality says the work could start in September, with as many as 25 to 30 truckloads brought to the landfill every day. It's part of a $6 million settlement ending a lawsuit brought by the state against Stimson Lumber Co. over a toxic cooling pond.

State officials say the soil from the pond is contaminated with PCB, a chemical that was used in engine oils before it was banned by the federal government in the 1970s over concerns it causes cancer.

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