Scientist tests Thompson water

Along the banks of the Thompson Falls Resevoir Thursday, University of Montana Geomorphologist Johnnie Moore bent down to take several sediment samples from the property of Thompson Falls resident, Jon Sonju. Moore was searching for contaminants that washed downstream from the Milltown Dam, breached last March. Sonju, a geologist, invited Moore to test the sediment after he noticed a green discoloration of the water near his home at the edge of the river. Moore has conducted previous research in conjunction with the U.S. Geological Survey and PPL Montana, which owns the Thompson Falls hydroelectric dam on the Clark Fork River.