Building blown up at old Smurfit-Stone Mill site as deconstruction continues
A building at the closed Smurfit-Stone Mill near Frenchtown was blown up on Feb. 1 as a part of the Mills deconstruction. The old mill site is under EPA investigation for contaminants which could leach into the Clark Fork River. (Photo courtesy of the Frenchtown Rural Volunteer Fire Department)
Missoula Sheriff and members of the Frenchtown Rural Volunteer Fire Department helped block Mullan Road on Feb. 1 as a building was exploded for deconstruction at the old Smurfit-Stone Mill site. (Photo courtesy of the Frenchtown Rural Volunteer Fire Department).
Explosions could be heard for miles around near the old Smurfit-Stone Mill site located 11 miles northwest of Missoula. Crews set off the explosives to remove one of the buildings being deconstructed on the site on Feb. 1.
Mullan Road near the Mill was closed at 9:20 a.m. as members from the Missoula Sheriff’s department, and the Frenchtown Rural Fire Department blocked traffic and watched as the building went up in smoke and debris.
The 3,200-acre Smurfit-Stone Mill closed in 2009 and currently the Environmental Protection Agency is working with local groups to address community concerns related to over 900 acres of unlined ponds used to store wastewater from the mill. Site contaminants include chlorine, lime, and asbestos and are close to the Clark Fork River floodplain.
The Frenchtown Smurfit Stone Community Advisory Group meets on a regular basis and their mission is to “serve as a trusted liaison between the community and EPA/DEQ by becoming informed, sharing this information with the public, and engaging in the Superfund process to ensure the restoration of the Mill site to a healthy ecological state for future generation.” They have a Facebook page, which has regular community updates.