USA: Whitefish Lake Dredging Set for Next Week

Cleanup crews are scheduled to begin dredging the bottom of Whitefish Lake next week, reports billingsgazette.com.

„The diesel spill penetrated much deeper into the soils than what the initial remedial investigation determined, causing continued contamination,“ said Mike Koopal, executive director of the Whitefish Lake Institute.

According to test samples, contaminant levels in the water were 16.8 times higher than federal standards, while contaminant levels in the soil were 8.65 times higher. He requested that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the EPA perform a site visit to determine whether additional remediation was necessary.

Koopal also brought the issue before the Whitefish City Council, which unanimously approved a letter drafted by then-Mayor Mike Jensen requesting site cleanup.

Approximately 400 cubic yards of petroleum-contaminated sediment will be purged from the bay using a barge-mounted excavator.

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Dredging Today Staff, May 16, 2012;