Opportunity Citizens Protection Association "OCPA"

Beaver Dam Park

2011-08-07T00:03:00.000-06:00

Check out the progress of our new park here: Click here

Beaver Dam Park

2011-03-24T22:55:00.001-06:00

Well, it sounds like the soil tested at the new Park location in Opportunity, needs to be replaced. Seems as though it contains enough contaminated soil, to warrant clean up. Imagine that... I can't help but think of all of the children that played in that playground in all that contaminated soil. I wonder how many of them developed Cancer or some other disease caused from these contaminates? Something else I can't help but think about is, why does the school playground have so much contaminates on it and the residential properties in Opportunity doesn't? I am thinking that this should warrant all new testing in Opportunity. NOT the way is was done before with the mixing of samples and taking an average but test each and every soil sample taken. Are we all living in a community that is slowly killing us all? EPA, stand up to the plate and take charge of this project, the citizens of Opportunity are relying on you. If you don't do it, ARCo surely isn't..... This isn't over folks, it has just begun......

George--

The wind blew and the crap flew

2011-03-24T22:34:00.000-06:00

These pictures where taken at 3PM March 10, 2011.
THEY TRICKED US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We still have a contaminated dust problem!!!!!!

HOLD your breath Warm Springs and Deer Lodge....

EPA: Hundreds of Anaconda yards contaminated with high lead levels

2011-02-13T21:20:00.003-07:00

The Environmental Protection Agency says 800 household yards in Anaconda could be contaminated with high levels of lead and the agency is now working on a plan of action to clean it up.

EPA project manager for the Anaconda area, Charlie Coleman, says in 2008 soil samples came back with higher levels of lead than they had in the 1990s when the EPA's original record of decision for clean up in the area was finalized. He says they tested between 50 to 100 yards and 35 percent came back with high levels of lead. If that percentage holds true for the entire area about 800 yards would have elevated levels of lead.

A feasibility study has since been conducted, and Coleman says the next step is to develop a proposed amendment to the record of decision on how to deal with the lead contamination. Coleman says it will probably be about a $10 million cleanup project that Atlantic Richfield Company would be responsible for. But, he adds that it's nothing Anaconda residents should worry about right now.

"A lot of the homes, a lot of the most contaminated yards have been addressed. You know, given the values we're seeing with some of the re sampling, I don't believe there's an immediate risk that people should feel alarmed," Coleman said.

Coleman says the proposed amendment should be out sometime this summer and then the public will have a chance to comment on it. He expects it to be finalized in late 2011 or early 2012.

Time for some re sampling in Opportunity as well..

Rehab setback

2010-12-18T22:55:00.002-07:00

ANACONDA - Contaminated sediment hauled from the former Milltown reservoir near Missoula to just west of Opportunity appears headed for cover.

The roughly 2.2 million cubic yards of waste is stubborn to grow grass after treatment, disrupting original plans to use the dirt as a cap over existing mine tailings in the Atlantic Richfield repository.

Instead, Arco and the Environmental Protection Agency may need to cap the toxic material with borrowed soil, a process that could take another two years.

Project leaders detailed these developments at a heated public meeting Tuesday in the Anaconda courthouse, stirring frustration from residents and county officials.

Jim Kuipers, county Superfund technical adviser, told The Montana Standard they had felt all but assured the Milltown sediment would grow vegetation when trains began hauling it over in 2007.

High metallic, nitrate and salt content actually made it more harmful than what was already at the repository, Kuipers said.

"We all drank the Kool-Aid that the sediment would grow," he said. "In the process, the possibility it would not work was underemphasized."

Anaconda no longer has any patience for experimentation, Kuipers said.

"I feel this county is behaving stupendously in light of the fact that these things keep happening," he said.

George Niland, spokesman for the Opportunity Citizens Protection Association, agreed the community is ready for development instead of setbacks.

Niland told The Standard they are fed up, and hear the same answers every time.

"We really thought this would be a great addition to that area," he said. "Turns out, we may be looking at more dust storms."

Arco has until March 31 to recommend soil capping or another plan to the EPA for approval. A final design would then be put together by the end of 2011 for work to begin in 2012.

Estimates come in at $10 million for a six-inch soil cap, and $20 million for an 18-inch cap. Arco is responsible for the cost.

EPA remedial project manager Charlie Coleman told The Standard they accounted for a contingent soil cap from the start, based on analytical data from previous testing.

The EPA was optimistic they could treat the sediment and grow vegetation, Coleman said, despite high levels of metals such as arsenic and lead.

Pyritic materials also created concern about the sediment's acidity in the future, he said.

Still, the EPA had successfully treated similar soil in the past, and its contingency lent a course of action if treatment failed.

"We knew we were working with some uncertainties," Coleman said. "I think what surprised us is how widespread the failure was."

Experts are still struggling to understand why the sediment won't grow vegetation. The sediment, which had been under about 30 feet of water at the reservoir, could have undergone unanticipated chemical reaction when it was brought above surface, Coleman said.

"The inaccessibility of the material did create some (testing) limitations," he said. "We tried to form the best decision we could with the data we had at the time."

Had the plan worked, it would have brought new cover soil to an area where it is sparse.

The sediment was already coming to Anaconda, Coleman said, and their only gamble was to see if they could make use of it in their design.

The EPA is surprised and disappointed it has not worked, he said, and is dedicated to fixing the problem.

"It is our obligation to get this right," he said.

- Reporter George Plaven may be reached via e-mail at george.plaven@lee.net.

From the Missoulian

2010-10-31T22:14:00.004-06:00

Despite expectations for growth, only a few weeds have sprouted in the Milltown Dam sediments near Opportunity, where John Brown, Anaconda Superfund site project officer for the state Department of Environmental Quality, stands Thursday morning. Photo by LINDA THOMPSON/Missoulian

Serge Myers is a longtime Opportunity resident, former smelter worker and president of the Opportunity Citizens Protection Association. “It’s nice to see the river go clean,” says Myers. “They (Missoulians) should all be grateful that we took the brunt of it.” Photo by LINDA THOMPSON/Missoulian

Dust rolls across the Milltown sediment deposits Thursday afternoon. Officials monitor dust levels at the site and attribute most of the dust to nearby haul roads that separate the ponds. Guess where the dust is going.. You guessed it, Opportunity. Photo by LINDA THOMPSON/Missoulian

OPPORTUNITY – Milltown Reservoir’s exiled dirt won’t behave in its new home.

The 2.5 million cubic yards of fine-grained sediment dredged from the former reservoir east of Missoula has been spread 2 feet thick over more than 600 acres of wasteland between Anaconda and its satellite community of Opportunity. But it won’t grow grass.

“This would have been the first year we wanted to see vegetation everywhere,” said Charlie Coleman, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Anaconda site project manager. “But the vegetation never took off.”

That’s more and less of a problem than it sounds. Less, because the Milltown sediment doesn’t appear to be posing a human health hazard. It’s sticking where it belongs on top of historic smelter wastes, and doesn’t appear to contribute to the dust clouds that occasionally stampede across the Deer Lodge Valley.

While also contaminated with poisonous levels of arsenic, lead and other heavy metals, the Milltown sediments are a lesser evil in a 5,000-acre Superfund site that holds a century’s accumulation of mine and smelter wastes piled up to 50 feet deep.

Still, there is a problem, because the Milltown sediment was supposed to grow a layer of grass and cap those mining deposits. Coleman submitted the EPA’s fourth five-year review of the Anaconda Smelter National Priority List Site this month, and the Milltown project was supposed to be a completed item. It wasn’t.

*****

Interstate 90 motorists may remember seeing lines of rail cars being unloaded south of the freeway between the Warm Springs and Opportunity exits. Those cars were filled with sludge that built up behind Milltown Dam since it was built at the confluence of the Blackfoot and Clark Fork rivers in 1908.

Atlantic Richfield Co, or Arco, bore responsibility for cleaning up that legacy of mine and smelter waste. The problems stretched from the mines and smelters in Anaconda and Butte down the Clark Fork River to Milltown Dam.

The area between the highway and Anaconda’s iconic smelter smokestack was known as Opportunity Ponds because smelter workers sluiced their waste downhill into a series of settling ponds, known as Cells A, B, C and D. The “ponds” have long since dried up, leaving behind a sprawling apron of tailings thick with cadmium, zinc, arsenic, lead and other poisons.

To fix this, Arco paid for and EPA managed years of effort to isolate the waste from surrounding ground and to cover it with a layer of safe soil and vegetation.

On the eastern edge of the wasteland, a dozen huge dump trucks and excavators were still at work last week, gathering more clean dirt to put on the tailings. The borrow pit they’ve created is nearly 1,000 acres in size, and will be converted into a prairie pothole-style wetland when they’re finished.

Elsewhere on the 5,000-acre Opportunity Ponds waste management area, clean fill over the old tailings has produced tall fields of grass. As Coleman led a tour through the site, a herd of 20 antelope grazed in one of the more established areas.

“Arco realized if this (Milltown sediment) grew vegetation, they could kill two birds with one stone,” Coleman said.

Ironically, once the Milltown excavators dug down to the level of the original riverbed, that old soil sprouted seeds that had been buried a century ago. There was hope that the excavated material, while not exactly rich potting soil, would at least support some simple field grasses.

But that didn’t happen. Most of the Milltown caps are as barren as the last exposed Anaconda tailings cell – a 20-acre plot that looks like curdled yellow cement. The only things that will grow in either spot are a few spiky thistles and tumbleweeds.

*****

Much of the sludge behind Milltown Dam got deposited there after a huge flood on the Clark Fork in 1908, which also left slickens of metal deposits along the river banks from Galen to Garrison. When Milltown Reservoir was found to be leaching arsenic into the local drinking water aquifer, EPA ordered a cleanup.

The early plans called for cleaning the gunk out of the reservoir and piling it nearby, possibly in the Bandmann Flats area between Bonner and East Missoula.

That would have been fine with Opportunity resident Serge Myers. He said many of the little community’s 750 residents feel they’ve been the janitors for everyone else’s pollution for years.

“I used to be able to see the trees at Warm Springs,” Myers said of the four-mile expanse between the two towns. Since he moved to Opportunity in 1957 as a smelter worker, the C and D cells filled in and blocked the view. When the area was declared a Superfund site in 1983, it seems the problems got bigger rather than smaller.

“I think they should all be grateful we took the brunt of it,” Myers said. “It’s nice to see the river go clean, but I thought we should at least get the property taxes from those new homes they built at Bandmann.”

Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Superfund technical adviser Jim Kuipers said dealing with one of the oldest – and largest – Superfund sites in the nation has been an exercise in patience.

“We’ve had great success downstream, with the dam removal and restoration work and new parks and trails,” Kuipers said. “Anaconda is still waiting for those things. We’re still 10 or 20 years away from being done up here.”

The Milltown grass problem shouldn’t last that long. No one’s sure why the grass won’t grow. It could be the soil chemistry is wrong, that decades of sitting under water left it too sterile to support plants. It could be a physical problem – the stuff is somewhere between a silt and a clay, which makes it tough for roots or water to penetrate.

Arco workers have set up a few test plots with added mulch, fertilizer and other additives to see if that helps. They’ve grown a few more grasses and weeds, but not enough to be successful.

“They have to make something work, or they have to go back to the drawing board,” said Chris Brick, science director for the Clark Fork Coalition, a nonprofit watchdog group monitoring the river restoration. “I don’t think we should experiment any more. They should cap it with clean soil and go on. We would advocate for getting the job done sooner than later.”

Mont. Superfund sediment cap won't grow vegetation

2010-10-31T21:54:00.004-06:00

Sediment contaminated with heavy metals and spread over 600 acres to cover even more dangerous mining waste at a Superfund site near Anaconda in western Montana appears unable to support vegetation.

The 2.5-million cubic yards of fine-grained sediment dredged from a former reservoir east of Missoula was spread 2 feet thick over a portion of a 5,000-acre Superfund site that holds mine and smelter wastes up to 50 feet deep.

Charlie Coleman of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tells the Missoulian that this was the first year the agency expected to see the sediment covered with grass.

Officials say the sediment isn't posing a health hazard because it's covering the mine waste and doesn't appear to be blowing away as dust.

Chris Brick of the Clark Fork Coalition, a watchdog group, says the area should be capped with clean soil that will grow vegetation.

Pictures of Beaver Dam School inside and out

2010-10-31T21:32:00.000-06:00

Along the Divide: Rebirth in Opportunity

2010-10-26T01:15:00.005-06:00

Plans in motion for new park, Greenway trailhead

ANACONDA — Overgrown grass brushes against the weathered playground of a ghostly former school in Opportunity.

Lifeless and vacant since 1981, Beaver Dam School is a crumbling relic of smelter days, cubed in off Rickards Street, North Hauser Street and North Norris Avenue. Most recently, it is a bull’s-eye for vandals.

But rebirth is coming is in the vision of permanent recess. County plans to convert the 9.52-acre space into a park and Greenway trailhead are in motion after buying the land late last year from School District 10.

Commissioners approved going out for bid at their Oct. 5 meeting, and planning director Connie Ternes-Daniels said work should be done by next year.

“It’s been a long, arduous and challenging path to get there, but I feel we’re finally there,” Ternes-Daniels said. “This is going to be a huge asset for Opportunity.”

Residents have long wanted a park at the Beaver Dam site, she said. Possibility became reality in 2005 when U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., secured a federal $5 million appropriation to Missoula and Anaconda-Deer Lodge counties affected by the Milltown Dam removal project.

Anaconda received a little more than $2 million of that money, in consideration of the three million tons of contaminated soil hauled by train to the nearby Atlantic Richfield tailings ponds.

TOP PRIORITY

The commission in 2005 passed a resolution supporting Beaver Dam Park as the top priority of the appropriation, designated for transportation enhancements and including parks.

Estimates come to about $1.3 million for the park, Ternes-Daniels said, which will feature a picnic area, new playground equipment, walking trail around the perimeter and access to the Greenway trail.

“We really want this to be Opportunity’s park,” she said. “They’ve been very patient.”

The historic Beaver Dam School building will also remain standing and mothballed, except for the south side addition put on sometime in the 1950s, to be secured by an eight-foot fence.

Workers will remove asbestos from the school, Ternes-Daniels said, but complete renovations would add another $800,000 to the project cost.

“The public overwhelmingly stated they wanted a park more than they wanted to fix the building,” she said.

Engineering design evolved over a series of meetings with Opportunity residents last year at the Community Club, to discuss what they wanted to see at their park.

The county hired WWC Engineering, of Helena, and project manager Shawn Higley said the meetings regularly drew between 20 and 30 people.

“It was pretty compelling,” Higley said. “There really was no negativity toward the construction of a park.”

Beaver Dam Park will provide a green-grass focal point for community and social gatherings, Higley said. It will also make the area more attractive.

“The old school property was pretty run-down,” he said. “Aesthetically, this will clean up the area a great amount.”

BIDS ARE DUE

Construction bids are due by Nov. 8, and the contract calls for 150 working days to finish the job.

Work will likely begin next season, though Higley said they may push the contractor to start securing the Beaver Dam School a bit earlier in the winter, depending on the weather.

District 4 Commissioner Robert Pierce said he is adamant about Beaver Dam Park, especially considering the kids of Opportunity.

Kids wanting a trip to the park have had to travel into town, Pierce said. Now, they will have a place of their own.

“That area hasn’t had anything for kids since it started, really,” he said. “(The park) is going to be a great shot in the arm for the local community.”

Anaconda-Deer Lodge County planning director Connie Ternes-Daniels and Commissioner Robert Pierce review plans for Beaver Dam Park at the site recently. The park is expected to be finished by next year. The historic Beaver Dam School, vacant since 1981, is in the background.

Great News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope.........

2010-10-14T21:50:00.006-06:00

Nice Scenery

2010-07-09T22:41:00.005-06:00

"We have some of the most breath taking scenery Montana has to offer. It is nice to sit in the back yard and see the mountains and occasionally here a wild bird sing. In the not to near future, our scenic view is going to change, along with the singing bird sounds. . There will be 2 huge power lines to look at and you will hear a constant humming from the lines.. enclosed is some pictures of what it will look like.. This power isn't even for the citizens of Montana, it is going to be shipped out of state. Write your senator and tell him how displeased you are with the decision to run these 2 huge power lines through our scenic valley."

May 3 Deja Vu

2010-05-16T00:25:00.008-06:00

I thought these type of days where long behind us but this looks all too familiar. The people who live around the repository have been very lucky for the last 8 months. It has been wet and there have been no strong winds to speak of. These conditions have kept down the toxic dust clouds that have plagued the people who live around the area.. Tuesday, we experienced strong winds which are the norm for this time of year and guess what? We have yet another toxic dust cloud to help promote cancer, breathing illness’s and a number of other problems with our daily lives. When is this going to stop? We are getting damned sick of it. Blowing dirt is one thing but this is blowing right out of the ARCO/BP toxic repository. We have many citizens who are on oxygen in and around Toxitunity and they ALL tell me that when these dusts start to blow, they have to leave until they are over or they can’t breathe at all.. What gives EPA? I thought you were on our side? How many more years do we have to deal with this medically unsafe condition? Thanks for ???????

Putting it back

2010-03-13T15:41:00.003-07:00

This piece of history, sat here at this location for years. It is the location of the Chamber of Commerce in Anaconda Mt. It was hauled away a few years ago and placed in another location, near the Copper King Express train that took people on a scenic tour of the Durant canyon area, between Butte and Anaconda. Crews this week are placing the old passenger car from The Butte Anaconda and Pacific railway, back. located at the Anaconda Chamber of Commerce once again..

Opportunity Meeting summary

2009-11-12T23:13:00.001-07:00

MEETING IN OPPORTUNITY NOV 2 AT 7PM

2009-10-20T23:46:00.005-06:00

Lime Treatment Facility

2009-06-14T22:26:00.004-06:00

I know you have all seen them, but I am about to take you on a first hand tour of the Lime water treatment facility at the head end of the Warm Springs ponds..
For your viewing pleasure:

Silo's while walking in...

Back side of facility...

Lime dumping into river....

Looks like a lot of lime for a supposedly clean silver bow creek..

Grizzlies used to catch debris that floats down the river...

Debris caught by grizzlies...

To Atlantic Richfield Company:

2009-06-12T23:59:00.003-06:00

Well either you have done a good job in keeping the dust down to a minimum or you have been lucky, due to the wet spring we have had. Either way, I want to say thank you, it has been nice to breath non contaminated air here in Opportunity. We don't miss those nasty dust storms we had in Jan of 2008. I have seen a couple of minor dust storms coming from the repository but not nearly as it has been. Thank you...
George Niland

Nice overhead pictures of Beaver Dam School and surrounding area..

2009-06-11T14:47:00.003-06:00

Contributed by Mike Kustudia, coordinator for CFRTAC

Our little piece of history

2009-05-11T00:20:00.004-06:00

Well folks, we are about to lose our last little piece of history from our community of Opportunity. All of our fights to try to keep the old Beaver Dam School, have hit brick walls and we are about to lose it. The latest straw on the camels back was the flier that ADLC sent out to every household in Opportunity, explaining how much money it would cost to rebuild the old Beaver Dam school. It also said that there was no money available to rehab it. 90% of the fliers returned, had demolish on them. There is money available out there but if they see that the community doesn't want the building in the first place, they are not going to give the money. Once again, my community stood by us and helped get something done..NOT.. One things for certain, we ARE going to have a park in Opportunity whether people want it or not. Please enjoy, compliments of the folks that care.......

Here is the questionnaire that ADLC sent out to the people of Opportunity..

PARK PLANS

2009-04-06T10:17:00.004-06:00

Here are three plans that where presented to the Opportunity citizens by WWC engineering out of Helena Mt. for the park in Opportunity. After reviewing them with citizens, it was noted that most people like them all but want to bring some items from one of the plans to the other plans which was perfectly ok according to WWC employees. They liked some things on one plan and some things off the other 2 plans so they want to mix them together to make a truly desirable park for us all.

WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-02T14:47:00.002-07:00

OCPA is happy to announce, construction will begin this summer on the new “Beaver Dam Park and Trail Head”, located at the old Beaver Dam School in Opportunity. Engineers from WWC engineering out of Helena, have held 2 meetings to announce plans of designing a Park in Opportunity and trails in the area. There was a public meeting at the Opportunity Community Club to discuss with the citizens of Opportunity, idea’s for the new park. Lots of ideas came up like a new baseball field, a large mound of dirt for kids to play on and sled down, picnic tables, gazebo’s, a skate board park, walking trails, playground equipment, including equipment that will be handicap accessible for children who might be handicapped. Also suggested, was a duck pond and lots of trees and shrubs. We (OCPA) thinks it will be a very nice park, projected to be complete by the fall of 2009. 2 short years ago, the Anaconda School Board, was ready to sell Beaver Dam School and property to the highest bidder. OCPA seen the park slipping out of the communities hands and thought something needed to be done right now or face losing the last place for kids to play in our community. We started negotiations with the School board to try to buy the property from them. OCPA even went as far as to put in a $1,000.00 bid on the property. At that time, Connie Daniels and Dan Villa, came to OCPA and informed us of a large grant through the dept of Transportation that we where eligible for. We where told, that it was a matching funds type of grant, and for every dollar we sent the DOT, we would get 7 in return. The total amount of the grant was $5 mil dollars but it was to be divided between Milltown and Opportunity, to develop parks and trails in the area and we each where eligible for 2.1 mil.. We could get the grant as long as we put in a trail head that would meet up with the “Greenway trail” coming from Butte. Well, needless to say, the negotiations where on. Finding a use for the old building has sort of set us back but there are some great idea’s out there to put it to use and save the historical values that the old part of the building posses. An Interpretive center is just one idea for the building. There could be tons of exhibits in that old building that really need to be on display. It could also be a museum to store all the historical items around Anaconda that the county has no room to store and there are several other idea’s floating around that sound real good as well. If at all possible, the people of Opportunity would really like to see the building stay. If you can think of a reason to keep the building to where it would be self sustaining or would like to take part in planning this great park, then call Shawn Higley at 406-443-3962 or send him an email at shigley@wwcengineering.com and give him your thoughts of what you would like to see in YOUR park. Right now is the designing phase and if you don’t get in on it, you will lose your chance of being part of this great project.

Fall in Montana

2008-10-07T00:00:00.002-06:00

Here are some pictures I took over the weekend in the Big Hole valley.. I think snow is on its way..

Wreck on Golf Course Road

2008-10-06T23:56:00.001-06:00

Not sure what this guy was doing trying to ride the fence....

We had a great Oppor Day

2008-09-05T00:41:00.007-06:00

Everything went very well at our 3rd annual Oppor Days and Fun Run. We didn't have the crowd we had last year but there was a lot of things going on that day in the area. We still didn't have much support from our community, in fact, not one of the volunteer firemen showed up. I guess we will have to do something different that appeals to our community. Its sad because it was a time when all local people had a chance to go have some fun and socialize with their neighbors. We had lots of things for the kids to do re: 3 jumping house, a water slide, a slip and slide with surf boards, face painting and various other things. The Race Track Fire Dept brought over their smoke house and showed the kids what to do if there is a fire in their homes, and things to watch for that could start a fire in their home. We had so many gifts to give away at the picnic that it took most of the day to draw tickets. Most everyone won something. There where some really great prizes which included local artists prints, DVD players, a ride on the Copper Express, meal tickets etc etc. We also had some really awsum food. There was BBQ'd prok chop sandwichs, corn on the cob, hamburgers, hot dogs, Beer and Pepsi products. If you didn't make it to the party, then you really missed a good one. Here are a few pictures from the event. I was in charge of the Poker Run so I missed a lot of the kids stuff. We even had a couple of Canadian Geese fly in to enjoy the party.

3rd Annual Oppor days and Fun Run

2008-07-21T00:51:00.002-06:00

OCPA has set a date for the 3rd annual Oppor days and Fun Run. It will be held August 23 2008. There will be a poker run that starts at 10am at Carmels Bar in Anaconda and will end at the Community Club in Opportunity. The event will be held at the OCC this year because of problems we had with insurance on the Beaver Dam School property and also we could NOT sell beer there because it is on School property. We are also going to have child safety awareness for the kids again this year with free prizes and lots of fun. OCPA will be having a fund raiser garage sale in the club building with lots of great deals. Food will be excellent as usual with BBQ'd pork chop sandwiches and corn on the cob. There will also be hot dogs for the kids. DJ Doc Savage will be providing the music. We hope to have an even bigger event this year so I urge you to join us. Bring the whole family and an appetite.

Saturdays Meeting

2008-06-15T01:12:00.003-06:00

Saturdays meeting went real well. Rick Appleman, gave a reoprt on the air monitors that OCPA worked so hard to get installed. Come to find out, the monitors are NOT doing what we want them to. They measure particulate size but what we really wanted to know, is what is in this dust that engulfs our neighborhoods. Also, the data from these monitors, has been recorded as averages for the day, week, month and so on. We don't want averages, its like the old saying goes, "The solution to pollution, is delusion". When you take an average from the samples, it takes into consideration all of the days when the dust wasn't blowing and figures that in for the average. This brings the bad days data down to where it doesn't look so bad. We want data on the dust event days and what is in it. We don't care about averages.
Also, Elizabeth from WET gave a report on the 26 wells they have been testing monthly for the last year. There where a couple of wells that where elevated in Arsenic but nothing to worry about YET. More testing to come in the future.
Also, Mark Kovacich from the law firm of Lewis, Slovack and Kovacich was there to sign up more people for the law suit that a group of Opportunity residents files against ARCO and to answer any questions that anyone may have concerning the law suit.
All in All, it was a great meeting. OCPA even got to show off their new reader board.. It will serve a good purpose in the future. If you missed the meeting, you missed another good one.

NOTICE!!!

2008-06-08T21:26:00.005-06:00

Saturday, June 14th at 2:00pm
OCPA will be sponsoring an informational meeting at the Opportunity Community Club, with guests that include, Water Environmental Technologies (WET). They will be giving information on results from the yearly testing they have performed on various local wells. As well as Professor Rick Appleman from Kuipers and Associates who will be giving a report on air samples from the two locations, one in Opportunity and one at Warm Springs that where chosen over a year ago. These samples where taken 24 hrs a day, seven days a week. They should provide us with data on our recent dust events. Also, there may be Lawyers there to answer any questions you may have about the citizen filed law suit against ARCO. I urge each and every citizen of Opportunity to show up there and see where you stand with your health and your rights.......

Opportunity Cleanup

2008-05-31T21:57:00.003-06:00

On May 31, OCPA sponsored an Opportunity Clean up. We had several residents join in as we walked every street in Opportunity picking up trash along side of the streets. Approximetly 15 big bags of trash where picked up. My hat goes off to every citizen that joined in on the clean up. Afterwards, a lunch was provided by OCPA which included Hot dogs with all the trimmings, Chile, Chips and a beverage. Thank you everyone for helping to keep our beautiful community beautiful.

Cadmium Warning

2008-05-25T23:05:00.001-06:00

One of our local residents of Opportunity was diagnosed with extremely high levels of Cadmium in her blood stream. If you don't think we are in danger of being poisoned by ARCO/BP, think again. Here is the health facts on cadmium:

Clinical effects of Cadmium

Acute exposure to cadmium fumes may cause flu like symptoms including chills, fever, and muscle ache sometimes referred to as "the cadmium blues." Symptoms may resolve after a week if there is no respiratory damage. More severe exposures can cause tracheo-bronchitis, pneumonitis, and pulmonary edema. Symptoms of inflammation may start hours after the exposure and include cough, dryness and irritation of the nose and throat, headache, dizziness, weakness, fever, chills, and chest pain.

Inhaling cadmium-laden dust quickly leads to respiratory tract and kidney problems which can be fatal (often from renal failure). Ingestion of any significant amount of cadmium causes immediate poisoning and damage to the liver and the kidneys. Compounds containing cadmium are also carcinogenic.

The bones become soft (osteomalacia), lose bone mineral density (osteoporosis) and become weaker. This causes the pain in the joints and the back, and also increases the risk of fractures. In extreme cases of cadmium poisoning, the mere body weight causes a fracture.

The kidneys lose their function to remove acids from the blood in proximal renal tubular dysfunction. The kidney damage inflicted by cadmium poisoning is irreversible and does not heal over time. The proximal renal tubular dysfunction creates low phosphate levels in the blood (hypophosphatemia), causing muscle weakness and sometimes coma. The dysfunction also causes gout, a form of arthritis due to the accumulation of uric acid crystals in the joints because of high acidity of the blood (hyperuricemia). Another side effect is increased levels of chloride in the blood (hyperchloremia). The kidneys can also shrink up to 30%.

Other patients lose their sense of smell (anosmia).

Air monitor

2008-05-21T11:43:00.003-06:00

It was brought to my attention that there are no pictures of the new air monitor placed near Opportunity. This is supposed to monitor air quality in our area and log it 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week.

May 20 2008, Yet another dust storm.

2008-05-21T11:31:00.004-06:00

Yesterday May 20 between 4:00 and 5:00 pm, there was yet another dust storm that ripped through Opportunity. It also went across Highway 48 and the visibility was zero on that highway. I am surprised no one has been in a serious accident while trying to travel through one of these dust events. There was dust coming from the newly disturbed contaminated soil on the Mill Creek road and the people of Opportunity had a very hard time breathing. There was also tremendous dust coming from the stream side tailings project near Fairmont that also ripped through Opportunity. The dust blowing across Highway 48 was coming from the ARCO/BP pond area. This is getting really old and someone needs to be held accountable.

Some nice pictures of Opportunity

2008-05-21T11:21:00.006-06:00

These pictures where shot by Ron N, an Opportunity resident. They show the beauty of our community and the breath taking scenery that we are trying to preserve.

Toxic tour

2008-05-09T23:35:00.010-06:00

CFRTAC board members where treated to a tour of the ARCO/BP repository behind Opportunity on May 09, 2008. Charlie Coleman and Ken Brockman gave brief explanations of what was happening with the project and where the Mill Town waste material was being used.

Unloading of toxic waste at repository

Mill town waste, spread and seeded.

Charlie Coleman of the EPA
CFRTAC Board members at tour
Cats spreading Mill Town waste

What the EPA and Arco would like the finished ponds to look like.

They paint a pretty picture but is this capping and so called reclamation going to be a permanent fix? Time will tell...........

Mill Town Toxic sediments at the ARCO/BP repository

2008-05-07T23:34:00.008-06:00

These pictures where taken off of the cfrtac website...
http://www.cfrtac.org/?p=217

One train a day, with 45 rail cars, makes the trip to the BP-ARCO repository.

Roughly 642,000 cubic yards of Milltown sediment has been shipped to BP-ARCO’s repository at the Anaconda Superfund site. CFRTAC coordinator Michael Kustudia, with assistance of pilot Gary Matson, recently flew over the repository and took these photos. The photo above shows the sediments being spread to form roughly a two-foot layer.

This repository cell awaits capping.

Milltown sediments, rich in both heavy metals and organic matter, are used to cap areas at the repository, which home to more than 300 million cubic yards of smelter waste.

photo's by Mike Kustudia

Once again

2008-05-01T15:12:00.006-06:00

Well, Opportunity was once more blessed with a nasty dust storm. If it isn't smoke, its dust. Why does the EPA allow ARCO to do this to our beautiful community? Sometimes I wonder who is working for who. Its like we don't even exist in this community. Have you had a sore throat here lately? Its from the lime dust that is blowing into YOUR community. Think of what its doing to your lungs.. Thanks ARCO/BP, Thanks EPA, Thanks Montana Environmental Quality, Thanks Anaconda Deer Lodge County and Thanks ADLC health dept, we appreciate your concern.. Not..

Pollution basis of lawsuit

2008-04-21T12:07:00.004-06:00

By John Grant Emeigh of The Montana Standard - 04/19/2008

About 90 residents in the Anaconda and Opportunity areas have filed a lawsuit against the Atlantic Richfield Co. and other companies — past and present — alleging the smelting operation contaminated their property and put the public health at risk.

The residents are seeking an undetermined amount of monetary damages for nearly a century’s worth of toxins that they claim have polluted the area by the smelting of the copper mined out of Butte, according to the lawsuit filed this week in Butte district court.

The 18-page complaint demands a jury trial in which the residents want to prove that the mining companies recklessly “jeopardized their property, health and welfare.” The lawsuit contends the defendants negligently released mine tailings, furnace slag, flue dust and numerous heavy metals into the air, soil, surface and ground waters in and around the smelting facility.

The complaint names several defendants including BP Amoco Corp., Atlantic Richfield Co., the Anaconda Mining Co., as well as the estate of Frank Day. The suit alleges the contaminants were created from the Anaconda smelting operations from 1884 to 1980.

Great Falls attorney Tom L. Lewis, who is representing the property owners in the lawsuit, didn’t return phone messages Thursday and Friday seeking comment.

Robin Bullock, the regional manager for Arco in Butte, said her company is reviewing the lawsuit and couldn’t comment on the specific allegations. However, she added that the company is disappointed it is being sued and that it has been involved in cleaning the site for the past 20 years.

“We are committed to completing what we have on our plate,” she said.

Bullock said the company has been complying with Environmental Protection Agency requirements for cleaning the site, which she said will continue over the next few years.

George Niland of Opportunity, who is one of the plaintiffs, said the Arco’s cleanup efforts have taken too long and aren’t satisfactory.

“Filing the lawsuit is our last straw,” Niland told The Montana Standard Friday morning.

Niland alleges that the EPA regulations by which ARCO abides allows for a certain amount of toxic materials in the soil. However, Niland claims there is arsenic in the soil on his property, and that it is still at a dangerous level despite the EPA regulations.

“That’s not acceptable to us,” he said.

Niland started the Opportunity Citizens Protection Association as a watchdog group to monitor the clean-up of that area’s Superfund site.

The lawsuit makes eight allegations including negligence and liability for abnormally dangerous activity.

“The defendants have failed and refused to timely and properly remove the contamination,” according to the court documents.

— Reporter John Grant Emeigh may be reached via e-mail at john.emeigh@lee.net or by telephone, 496-5511

Links to other news articles:

Pittsburg Tribune: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MT_ARCO_LAWSUIT_MTOL-?SITE=PAGRE&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Greatfalls Tribune: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080421/NEWS01/80421006

Redorbit: http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1349459/smelter_pollution_basis_of_lawsuit/

2008-03-06T21:25:00.008-07:00

**Research Brief 159: In utero and Early Postnatal Exposure to Arsenic May Alter Pulmonary Function**

A report on the impact of developmental exposure to arsenic on lung development and function. More of this kind of work will be necessary to begin to get at underlying causes of asthma and other respiratory diseases in order to design primary prevention strategies. As it is now, far more resources go toward secondary and tertiary than primary prevention.

Ted Schettler

In utero and early postnatal exposure to toxicants can affect gene expression, which can alter organ structure and physiological function. University of Arizona (UA) SBRP investigator, Dr. Clark Lantz, and his research team believe that in utero and postnatal arsenic exposure via drinking water, at environmentally relevant doses, can result in altered gene expression. These alterations in gene expression may impact lung and blood vessel development, resulting in chronic disease as an adult.

Background: Growth and development require the expression of genes and gene products to be temporally and spatially coordinated postnatal exposure to toxicants can affect gene expression, which can alter organ structure and physiological function. University of Arizona (UA) SBRP investigator, Dr. Clark Lantz, and his research team believe that in utero and postnatal arsenic exposure via drinking water, at environmentally relevant doses, can result in altered gene expression. These alterations in gene expression may impact lung and blood vessel development, resulting in chronic disease as an adult.

Advances: Dr. Lantz's team is using a mouse model to explore the developmental effects of arsenic in the lung. To determine if arsenic exposure during critical development could alter pulmonary function, the researchers exposed male and female mice, prior to mating, with up to 100 ppb (parts per billion) arsenic via drinking water. Arsenic exposure continued throughout the pregnancy and after birth. Once the pups were weaned, they were given water with the same level of arsenic for 28 days. The researchers tested the pups' pulmonary function and found that arsenic exposure induced airway hyperreactivity. To determine if this change was permanent, the researchers switched the mouse pups previously exposed to arsenic to control water for 28 days. Pulmonary function tests showed no reversal in airway hyperreactivity, suggesting that alterations induced by in utero and early postnatal exposures to arsenic are not reversible with the removal of arsenic.

Adult mice exposed to arsenic via drinking water for four weeks did not show the same arsenic-induced increase in airway reactivity as seen in mice exposed during in utero and early postnatal development.

To determine how arsenic can cause these functional alterations, Dr. Lantz's team is examining anatomical changes in the airways and in tissues surrounding the airways. In humans, airway hyperreactivity is associated with increased levels of connective tissue and smooth muscle around the airways; the lab is currently looking at these parameters. Dr. Lantz's data indicate that the expression levels of some extracellular matrix genes are altered by arsenic, and there is an increase in the amount of smooth muscle that surrounds the airways. The researchers are applying quantitative anatomical analyses to verify these changes.

Significance: These findings may impact future public health policies by providing an intervention strategy to reduce adverse human health outcomes associated with arsenic exposure. It appears that the timing of exposure is important for inducing the alterations. For instance, in utero and early postnatal exposure can cause alterations in pulmonary function, while arsenic exposure, exclusively during the adult years, does not. Once exposure is established, alterations in pulmonary function cannot be reversed simply by removing the arsenic, which suggests that the timing of intervention strategies is important to reduce adverse effects.

These data also suggest that children exposed to arsenic during periods of critical development would have an increased risk of developing lower respiratory infections (LRI), which are a significant cause of infant morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Identifying environmental agents that may lead to increased LRIs, in addition to reducing exposure of pregnant mothers and young children to environmental agents, can, potentially, improve health in third world countries.

For More Information Contact:

R. Clark Lantz, Ph.D.
Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy
University of Arizona
1501 N. Campbell Ave.
PO Box 245044
Tucson, AZ 85724-5044
lantz@email.arizona.edu

As always, your feedback is welcomed.

Beth Anderson
Program Analyst
Superfund Basic Research Program
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
tainer@niehs.nih.gov

To learn more about the Superfund Basic Research Program, visit the SBRP web site.

All Research Briefs are available on the Research Briefs web page.

TIP FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT

2008-03-01T23:17:00.001-07:00

PUT YOUR CAR KEYS BESIDE YOUR BED AT NIGHT

Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies. This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you
reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar or
rapist won't stick around... after a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there.....
This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.
P.S. I am sending this to everyone I know because I think it is fantastic. It would also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a phone. A wife suggested to her husband to carry his car keys with him in case he falls outside and she doesn't hear him. He can activate the car alarm and then she'll know there's a problem.

Lunar Eclipse

2008-02-22T10:26:00.003-07:00

Just thought I would share a few photos I took of the recent lunar eclipse..
Their not all that good but sort of cool...

Opportunity Song

2008-02-21T22:40:00.004-07:00

Here is a song written and played by Chad Okrish, Professor at Montana Tech, for the town of Opportunity.

http://h1.ripway.com/regulator1/01-ChadOkrusch-OpportunityBlues(c)2007.mp3

In memory of Jack Francisco

2008-02-17T22:58:00.003-07:00

OCPA has bought and installed a non slip carpet for the entrance to the Opportunity Community Club. Jack always said someone was going to slip on the wet tile some day, so OCPA took it upon themselves to install the carpet before someone actually falls and gets hurt. Thank you Jack for bringing this to mind for us.. OCPA.....

School Board Meeting

2008-02-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

Anaconda School Board held their meeting on February 13 in the little theater in the Anaconda Senior High School. On the agenda was whether or not to give Anaconda Deer Lodge County a one year extension on their decision to buy the Beaver Dam School and property at fair market value or not. Discussions got a bit heated up between school board member Bill Johnson and Jim Kuipers when Jim asked them not to pull the carpet out from under the counties feet. The school board member stated to Jim that the school board has been very good about giving numerous extensions to the county and OCPA to let them get their ducks in a row and present the school board with a solid plan. He stated, the time has come to make a decision. ADLC CEO Becky Guay stated to the school board that the county IS willing to pay fair market value on the property, when the MDOT grant money started coming in. School board members agreed to give the county until the first part of March to present them with a plan.

DUST EVENT December 15, 2007 1 pm

2007-12-15T17:26:00.001-07:00

More dust heading through Warm Springs and hanging over Deer Lodge.. Come on EPA, do your job.........

Reader Board now in service

2007-12-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

Finishing touches where added to the new reader board at the Opportunity Community Club in Opportunity. The board is now ready for posting all news to the citizens of Opportunity..

Too Late for Opportunity?

2007-12-10T23:57:00.000-07:00

On Monday, November 10, Pat Munday and a team of his students from his “Politics of Technical Decisions” class at Montana Tech, put A short, two-act play about the Arco-British Petroleum toxic waste repository near the town of Opportunity, Montana. Students played the Anaconda Company, ARCO-BP, the Environmental Protection Agency, Milltown, and Opportunity. Modeled on Augusto Boal’s “Theatre of the Oppressed,” each act was performed several times. After two repetitions of the second act, audience members where invited to participate by taking the place of an actor and redefining that actor’s role. Performances of the second act continued so audience members could all participate. They showed how the contaminated soil ended up in Milltown and how the EPA did nothing to stop the soils from being hauled to Opportunity.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved, it was truly fantastic. Great job folks...

Turkey Dinner

2007-11-19T23:02:00.000-07:00

On November 18 2007, OCPA sponsored a free Turkey dinner for the people of Opportunity to thank them for their support. I am happy to announce that the dinner was a big success. We had lots of people show up for the dinner and collected donations to more then cover expenses. We had Turkey and all the trimmings to go with it. The folks who did the cooking deserve a big pat on the back for a delicous dinner. Thanks to everyone who helped with this successful dinner. I didn't get many pictures but here are the ones I did get.

Pictures from another citizen of Opportunity

2007-11-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

These pictures where shot by Ron Nelson of Opportunity during the big dust event on Nov 13.

Damage in Anaconda wind storm on Nov 12 2007

2007-11-13T23:22:00.000-07:00

These are photos I took in Anaconda during and after the big wind storm we had on Nov 12...

Dust Storm in Anaconda and Opportunity 10/12/07

2007-11-13T23:08:00.000-07:00

So much for dust control. Maybe a little more polymer or some wet Mill
Town sediments might cure this problem. I am sure there is contaminated
soils throughout the entire valley from Anaconda to Missoula from this
nasty dust storm. Funny, everyone that works for the agencies and others
have said to call in the case of a dust storm but nobody could be
reached during this one..... Thanks ARCo and EPA for the wonderful gray
out we went through yesterday.. My lungs still hurt and I feel real
sorry for the people with breathing problems in the area.. My car got
sand blasted from all the black slag blowing from the pile across Mt 1.
Do I submit a bill to ARCo or EPA for a new paint job? I know what they
would say.. Just like our Governor told us, "Just think of the jobs".

EPA friend or foe?

2007-10-17T22:52:00.000-06:00

In response to the article in yesterdays Montana Standard "Where to from here?"

What kind of Nonsense are you speaking Charlie Coleman? How much did you get paid to say these things? Of course there is going to be lots of wildlife in the ARCo pond area. The whole area is closed off to the public and there is grass growing there. This isn't rocket science. It has always been a place for wildlife. It is attracted to them because of the feed and privacy. The Berkley pit was attracted to over 300 Snow Geese and other water fowl too, because it was a large body of water and looked like a great place to rest.. Low and behold they rest in peace now. The animals will be eating tainted grass and drinking tainted water and for some reason I don't think this is healthy for the animal nor the unlucky hunter who shoots one of these animals and feeds it too their children. Hopefully some day a complaint won't come in that says one of Charlie Coleman's relatives, has struck an animal on Mt1 between Anaconda and Opportunity. I bet you wouldn't enjoy that complaint one bit. Numerous families have gone through this already since the property has been fenced and grass has been planted. This problem will only get worse, the more animals move into there, the more heart ache people will be going through because of collisions. .

Opportunity residents protested when the first shipment arrived last week? Where? Explain...
Would you live in Opportunity Charlie? Would you raise a family there? Would you complain if you DID live there?

Also, “We think as part of the capping process it’s going to be a good medium Coleman said.” WE THINK? Don't we know? or
We think this is a good remedy, and we think it’s going to be a very useful and vibrant place for the community to use and we’re looking forward to getting it done,” Scalley said. WE THINK? Don't we know?

There are a lot of unanswered questions here. What is going to happen to the tons of silt from Mill Town when they dry out and we get the big wind storms in December or January? The grass won't be growing there yet. Opportunity and Warm Springs eat poison dust AGAIN..
EPA, I am ashamed to say you work for our gov for the citizen. It surely doesn't look like it here.

Baby Whitetail

2007-08-24T21:46:00.000-06:00

These pictures have nothing to do with OCPA but I thought they where cool and wanted to share..

More pictures of the Oppor Days

2007-08-14T00:58:00.001-06:00

2nd annual Oppor Days and Fun Run 2007

2007-08-14T00:51:00.001-06:00

Will the tree's stay or go?

2007-06-30T01:27:00.000-06:00

By the looks of this letter, BP/ARCO will TRY to keep the tree's. They don't say they WILL.

Dust Dust and more Dust...

2007-06-28T17:19:00.000-06:00

Like one of the Opportunity citizens says:
"We have Never had dust in Opportunity"

Hmm imagine that. They must see dust differently in Helena..

2007-06-28T16:28:00.002-06:00

Helena Sand & Gravel, Inc. Resolves DEQ Enforcement Action

Helena -- The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) recently
settled an enforcement action with Helena Sand & Gravel, Inc. concerning
its construction activities in Helena, Montana. The enforcement action
included a $15,400 administrative civil penalty for the company's
violation of the Clean Air Act of Montana.

Larry Alheim, DEQ Environmental Enforcement Specialist, said the DEQ
took the action because the company failed to take reasonable
precautions to control dust at the I-15 exit construction site south of
Helena and at the Townsend Avenue site in Helena.

In August and October 2006, in response to several complaints, Alheim
conducted site visits at the I-15 construction site and observed excess
dust without reasonable precautions. The dust was observed extending
across both the north and south bound lanes of I-15 and extending
several hundred yards off site. On the four field visits by the DEQ
during excess dust events at the I-15 construction site, a water truck
was observed at the site but not operating.

At the Townsend Avenue site, DEQ personnel observed dust from the
company's work site impacting nearby residences and observed a lack of
reasonable precautions being taken to control the dust emissions.

Helena Sand and Gravel took corrective action to bring the sites back
into compliance, paid the fine and cooperated fully with the DEQ
throughout the enforcement action.