For immediate release: Nov. 27, 2023 

Media contact:
Nick Banish, District Manager of the Gallatin Local Water Quality District
406-582-3145
nick.banish@gallatin.mt.gov 

Public Invited to Idaho Pole Site Superfund Site Informational Session  

The public is invited to an informational session on the Idaho Pole Site, a superfund site in Bozeman, in December.  

The Gallatin Local Water Quality District (GLWQD) will host representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Montana Department of Enviornmental Quality, who will discuss the cleanup project’s timeline and current state, give a groundwater treatment update, and address public concerns and questions. 

The presentation will be on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 8:30 AM in the third-floor community room at the Gallatin County Courthouse (311 W. Main St.) It will be part of GLWQD’s regular board of directors meeting. 

The history of this site dates back to the mid-1940s, when the facility used creosote to preserve wood and later switched to pentachlorophenol in carrier oil (similar to mineral oil) for the wood treating solution.  In 1978, evidence of a release of the oily wood treating fluid was identified in ditches near the facility and near Rocky Creek.   

More background on the site can be found here. 

If you’re interested in the status of the remedial actions, have questions or concerns, or just want to learn more about groundwater issues in the Bozeman area, you’re invited to attend this public information session. 

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