PROJECT DESCRIPTION – Missoula Sawmill Site Wood Waste Reclamation Project 

Brief History of the Problem – The Missoula Sawmill Facility, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields and Montana State Superfund site, has a storied history.  For more than 80 years the 50‐acre facility located in the urban core of Missoula was operated as a Sawmill (Figure 1). Logs were floated down the Clark Fork River, diverted into an onsite log pond, and milled to dimensional lumber. Over many years sawdust and wood chips were buried in the log pond and along the Clark Fork River.  Estimated at more than 120,000 cubic yards, the buried wood is decaying, generating methane that is both a fire hazard for structures and an accelerant of global warming.   

Little attention was given to these issues for many years. However, in 2006, the Missoula Revitalization Project LLC (MRP) and the City of Missoula (City) together devised a strategy to revitalize the property. Titled the Old Sawmill District, MRP proposes to construct a vibrant, community‐minded, mixed‐use development, a portion of which is proposed on buried wood generating methane. The City, in return for economic assistance, has acquired 14 acres from MRP to develop Silver Park along the river and over buried wood that is generating methane.   

In 2005, MRP submitted a Voluntary Cleanup Plan (VCP) to the DEQ to address environmental issues including methane generating wood material.  MRP utilized an EPA Brownfields loan from the City to prepare the VCP and complete environmental cleanup.  The VCP, approved by the DEQ in July 2007, proposes removal of approximately 30,000 yards of buried wood material in areas proposed for development (see Figure 1) and 15,000 cubic yards of aboveground wood to eliminate methane risks.

Overall Project Goals – The City is applying for a $50,000 planning grant to evaluate whether buried wood material on the Missoula Sawmill Site can be economically recycled into a growth medium for reuse in City parks, including both Silver Park and Fort Missoula Regional Park planned on a former gravel pit along the Bitterroot River in southeast Missoula.  In accordance with DNRC Reclamation and Development Grant guidelines, the proposed project is eligible for a planning grant because it addresses the investigation and remediation of sites where hazardous wastes or regulated substances (i.e. methane) threaten public health or the environment.

The City is in critical need of compost/growth medium and wishes to know whether the wood can be recycled into a viable soil amendment material. MRP must remove wood material to satisfy the DEQ‐approved VCP.  Preliminary testing completed during the voluntary cleanup process suggests that the wood material may be of good agronomic quality. The assessments also show that soils in Silver Park are dominated by fill of low agronomic quality, and therefore, significant soil amendment will be required to grow turf. Between Silver Park and Fort Missoula Regional Park, the City estimates that as much as 40,000 cubic yards of growth medium will be required.  

Should the evaluation show that the wood material can be economically recycled; the public benefits of the project are many and include: 

1. Reclaiming environmental damage to the natural environment by eliminating methane production and restoring the site located in the center of Missoula; 

2. Satisfying the resource recycling objectives of the USEPA Brownfields cooperative agreement between the City and EPA, which encourages resource recycling on sites where EPA loans are made by the City;  

3. Conserving natural resources through reuse of the wood material in city parks; 

4. Fulfilling community objectives for park development.  The Missoula community was instrumental in developing the Old Sawmill District Master Plan, which included Silver Park.   

5. Protecting public health, safety, and welfare of Montanans in the long‐term through methane abatement and lowering of carbon emissions from the wood waste.  

6. Reducing consumption of the Missoula Sole Source Aquifer. The City applies compost on parks to increase moisture retention and reduce water demand. However, we are limited due to the high cost of compost. If we can make compost from the wood material at a lower cost, we can expand the use of compost on parks and reduce groundwater use.   

The planning grant fits well with the overall timing of City park projects. The City anticipates final design and construction of the Silver Park by 2011‐2012. Fort Missoula Regional Park is proposed for construction in 2013. The requirements of the VCP to remove the wood material must also be completed by MRP by 2012.    

Specific Use of Funds – Stakeholders have met to discuss this application and the objectives of the project.  These discussions identified three main areas where grant funds would be used, as described below.  The City also intends to complete public outreach (i.e. public meetings) during the grant period (see proposed schedule) to educate the public and garner public input. 

Wood Material Evaluation: Testing of the buried wood material is proposed to verify its agronomic characteristics. Test pits would be advanced in the former log pond and aboveground pile and samples of the wood would be collected and submitted for analysis of total extractable nutrients and elemental constituents. This data would then be used to determine what, if any, amendments to the wood waste are necessary to develop a suitable growth medium.  An environmental/composting consultant would be retained to devise the sampling, collect the samples, and evaluate the data.  Demonstration‐Scale Evaluation‐Testing:  A pilot‐scale compost study would be completed. The compost would be created on land owned by the City to demonstrate that the wood material can be reclaimed into a suitable growth medium.  Approximately 100‐200 cubic yards of compost would be created. A composting company would be retained to provide technical assistance to the City.  Wood from both the aboveground pile and buried in the log pond would be used. Pre‐and post agronomic testing of the material would be completed to demonstrate agronomic improvement.   

Economic Feasibility: An evaluation of the economic feasibility of creating growth medium using the wood material would be completed, including evaluation of the best location for the composting facility, best approach to excavation and sorting of wood from the log pond, most economic process to create the growth medium, and identification of a viable source of nutrients.  It’s anticipated that a biomass reclamation specialist from the University of Montana would be retained to assist in the economic evaluation. 

Expected Natural Resource Benefits – Expected natural resource benefits include the restoration of the blighted property into a city park and mixed‐use development, lowering of carbon (methane) emissions to the atmosphere; recycling of a waste material into a desired product; and reduction of water consumption in city parks for irrigation.     

Regulatory Issues ‐ The DEQ‐approved VCP proposes to address methane, in part, by removal of aboveground and buried wood material.  The voluntary actions proposed by MRP in the VCP must be completed by 2012, or the VCP becomes null and void. Should the planning grant demonstrate that wood material can be reused by the City, the creation of a growth medium using the wood material would fulfill the voluntary requirements of the VCP. DEQ has already indicated based on a review of analytical data that the wood material can be used on or off the facility as a soil amendment. A letter from the DEQ acknowledging the VCP remedial acitons and support for this grant application is attached. 

Proposed project schedule – A proposed project schedule is attached. 

ID Task Name Duration Start Finish1 Receipt of Grant 1 day Mon 7/20/09 Mon 7/20/09

2 Develop Project Mgt. Plan 14 days Mon 7/20/09 Thu 8/6/09

3 Hiring of Contractors/Consultants 30 days Mon 8/10/09 Fri 9/18/09

4 First Public Meeting 1 day Wed 9/30/09 Wed 9/30/09

5 Wood Waste Characterization/Reporting 40 days Mon 9/21/09 Fri 11/13/09

6 Pilot-Scale Composting, Including reporting 140 days Mon 9/21/09 Fri 4/2/10

7 Economic Evaluation 90 days Mon 12/7/09 Fri 4/9/10

8 Second Public Meeting 1 day Mon 4/12/10 Mon 4/12/10

9 Prepare and Submit RDGP Grant, as appropriate 20 days Mon 4/19/10 Fri 5/14/10

June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 eptember 200 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2010 February 2010 March 2010 April 2010 May 2010

Task

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Project Summary

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City of Missoula PROPOSED PROJECT SCHEDULEMissoula Sawmill Site Wood Waste Reclamation Project

June 2009

DNRC RDGP Planning Grant Application

Page 1

Project: Project schedule.mppDate: Wed 8/5/09

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C l a r k F o r k R i v e r

Approximate Facility Boundary

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Development Planning GrantMissoula, Montana

FIGURE 1

Source: Walker & Associates, Inc. (2000), Maxim (2005)

Approximate Facility BoundaryApproximate Landfill Boundary

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Buried Wood Wastes To Be Removed (Approximate)Area Known to Contain Methane GasAbove Ground Woodchips (To Be Removed)

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S I T E

 PROJECT TASK UNIT RATE TOTAL

Task 1 ‐ Wood Waste Characterization

Task 1A ‐ Wood Waste Sampling

Labor   Senior 1 (Project Management) 4 120$                            480$                                             Project I (Oversight of Test Pit Install, including set up) 16 85$                               1,360$                                       Staff 1 (GPS Surveying Test Pit Sample Locations)  4 70$                               280$                                          

Subtotal 2,120$                                       Direct Costs   Excavator 12 135$                            1,620$                                       Compost Analytical Testing 12 250$                            3,000$                                       Sample Shipment 1 75$                               75$                                             Trimble GPS Unit 1 80$                               80$                                             Sampling Supplies 10 10$                               100$                                          

    Subtotal 4,875$                                       

  Total Task 1A 6,995$                                       

Task 1B ‐ Data Analysis/Wood Waste Amendment Calculations 

Labor     Senior 1 (Project Management) 6 120$                            720$                                             Senior I (data analysis, amendment calculations) 50 100$                            5,000$                                          

Subtotal 5,720$                                       

Total Task 1B 5,720$                                       

TOTAL TASK 1 ‐ WOOD WASTE CHARACTERIZATION 12,715$                                    

Task 2 ‐ Composting Pilot Study

Composting Consultant 1 5,000$                         5,000$                                       Initial Excavate/Prep. Material 20 135$                            2,700$                                       Cow manure/straw 100 16$                               1,636$                                       Process Material 24 135$                            3,240$                                       Compost Analytical Testing 10 250$                            2,500$                                       Data Analysis and Reporting 32 120$                            3,840$                                       

TOTAL TASK 2 ‐ COMPOSTING PILOT STUDY 18,916$                                    

Task 3 ‐ Economic Evaluation

UM Soil Reclamation Specialist 1 2,500$                         2,500$                                       Economic Evaluation and Report 100 100$                            10,000$                                     

TOTAL TASK 3 ‐ ECONOMIC EVALUATION 12,500$                                    

44,131$                                    10% Contingency 4,413$                                       

1,456$                                       50,000$                                    

LEVERAGED FUNDS Estimated Total

City In‐kind park planners to oversee and evaluate planning grant work, complete public outreach and prepare RDGP grant application in Spring 2010.  8,000$                                       Developer (MRP) Technical Assistance and DEQ collaboration  4,000$                                       

ESTIMATED TOTAL LEVERAGED 12,000$                                    

Note: A significant amount of private leverage from MRP is possible should the City show growth medium can be produced economically.  

TOTAL BUDGET ESTIMATE

SUBTOTAL

Cost Estimate ‐ DNRC RDGP Planning GrantMissoula Sawmill Site Wood Waste Reclamation Project 

City Grant Administration

19‐Jun‐09

Page 1 of 1

June 26, 2009 Donna Gaukler Executive Director Missoula Parks & Recreation Department 600 Cregg Lane Missoula, MT 59801 RE: Letter of Support for City of Missoula RDGP Planning Grant Dear Ms. Gaukler: I am pleased to provide this letter of support on behalf of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for the RDGP Planning Grant Program application being submitted by the City of Missoula. The Energy and Pollution Prevention Bureau assists Montana citizens, local governments, and businesses in preventing pollution and reducing wastes, reducing energy use and increasing reliance on renewable energy. These activities provide environmental and often economic benefits. I know Missoula is requesting grant funds to support the Silver Park Wood Waste Reclamation Project designed to economically recycle the wood material on the Missoula Sawmill site into growth medium for reuse in city parks. Compost use can result in a variety of environmental benefits. Composting organic materials that have been diverted from landfills ultimately avoids the production of methane and leachate formulation in the landfills, in addition to extending municipal landfill life. It serves as a marketable commodity and is a low-cost alternative to standard landfill cover and artificial soil amendments. Compost has the ability to prevent pollutants in storm water runoff from reaching surface water resources; using compost can reduce the need for water, fertilizers, and pesticides. Compost provides a less costly alternative to conventional methods of remediating (cleaning) contaminated soil. Compost has also been shown to prevent erosion and silting on embankments parallel to creeks, lakes, and rivers, and prevents erosion and turf loss on roadsides, hillsides, playing fields, and golf courses. Recycling wood waste into compost is a priority waste stream for the DEQ because the practice conserves renewable and nonrenewable resources, extends landfill life, conserves energy, reduces waste and air pollution, and cuts greenhouse gas emissions.

Recycling is an important part of the Integrated Waste Management Plan, and Montana has recently updated statewide targets in the 2006 integrated Waste Management Plan. The new target goal is to increase the recycling rate to 19% by 2011. Composting volumes are included when calculating Montana’s recycling rate due to the many waste reduction benefits. The efforts of the Silver Park Wood project are clearly in line with the recycling goals that have been set by the State of Montana. The City of Missoula’s interest in furthering environmentally beneficial causes clearly demonstrates their commitment to protect, sustain, and improve a clean and healthful environment to benefit present and future generations. If you have questions about the Montana Department of Environmental Quality or its support of Missoula’s Silver Park Wood Waste Reclamation Project, please contact me at 406-841-5253. Sincerely, Dusti Johnson Dusti Johnson Recycling and Market Development Specialist Montana Department of Environmental Quality