about cfrtac
The Clark Fork River Technical Assistance Committee (CFRTAC) was formed in 1998 as a nonprofit volunteer citizens' organization with a goal to provide the public with information on Superfund cleanup of the toxic mine-waste contaminated Clark Fork River to achieve the best cleanup possible.
Our mission is to help people meaningfully and effectively participate in Superfund remediation, restoration, and redevelopment of the Clark Fork River and its affected communities. We engage individuals, organizations, and the public in the Superfund process by providing technical support, information, and advice in understandable language, and we help landowners make informed decisions regarding their cleanup-impacted properties.
Our goal is to ensure that the cleanup works for local landowners and community members with minimal disruption or economic loss, and that the river is cleaned up adequately to support fisheries, wildlife, and their habitats. In addition to providing technical support, we also link community members to resources and cleanup agency personnel as needed; attend and convene public meetings; and meet individually with landowners to help guide them through the Superfund process.
CFRTAC has historically been funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an independent technical assistance group. Since our inception we have been involved in every step of the Clark Fork River Superfund process, including review of remedial investigations, risk assessments, and evaluation of cleanup options, design, and construction.
We played a major role in engaging the public in the dam removal and cleanup of the Milltown Dam and Reservoir located just upstream of Missoula, Montana. This Superfund site marks the downstream extent of the Milltown Reservoir/Clark Fork River Superfund Site, which extends more than 100 miles along the Clark Fork River upstream to its headwaters at Warm Springs (near Butte). It is the largest Superfund complex in the United States.
Throughout the Milltown Dam removal and cleanup, CFRTAC served as a trusted source of information for the public while remediation decisions were being made, as well as throughout the construction phase of dam removal, cleanup, and restoration. We represented the public on the EPA Design Review Team and commented on aspects of cleanup that affected local populations. We produced a newsletter, website, and a special publication, “The Dam News,” that helped the public anticipate and understand the cleanup as it progressed. The EPA and the local community considered the public engagement aspect of this Superfund site to be well done.
Remediation at the Milltown Dam Site (called an "Operable Unit" in Superfund parlance) was completed in 2012, with restoration work continuing after that time.
Remediation work commenced along the main river in the Deer Lodge Valley in 2010 (the Clark Fork River Operable Unit). For this phase of Superfund remediation, CFRTAC has continued its role as a technical assistance group, providing information, advice, and outreach to local landowners and other interested community members who are affected by this massive cleanup and restoration effort.
In this role we work closely with the cleanup agencies and local communities, serving as a public representative on the Clark Fork River Design Review Teams. Design Review Teams determine the details of how remediation and restoration will be carried out on each of the 22 phases of the cleanup. CFRTAC's participation ensures that the expertise of its board members and consultants, as well as the input and priorities of local communities, are fully considered by the cleanup agencies during the design process.
meet the board
Sam Carlson
Sam is the Staff Scientist for the Clark Fork Coalition and has a background in water quality, hydrology, and data science. Previously he was an Assistant Research Professor at MT State University investigating landscape-scale patterns of stream temperature and metabolism, relationships between streamflow and water quality, and efforts to develop accessible resources for sharing ecological insights and data. (Bottom row, center)
Amanda Cooley
Amanda is the Planning Director for Powell County. As a land-use planner, she serves as the County liaison for Superfund reclamation work on the Clark Fork River and old Milwaukee Roundhouse facility. She has an undergraduate background in ecological sciences and works to promote and protect the interests of Powell County residents and landscapes as reclamation work continues. (Top row, second from right)
Andy Fischer
Andy is a Project Manager for the Clark Fork Coalition and works closely with agricultural producers, water right holders, watershed groups, and agencies to develop water projects that increase stream flows and improve habitat in the Clark Fork’s tributaries and main stem. He lives in Deer Lodge with his wife and two children and is an active member in the community and is president for the Powell County Parks and Trails Board, a Search and Rescue member, and coaches Deer Lodge Little League in his spare time. Andy has served on the CFRTAC board for six years. (Top row, right)
Joe Griffin
Joe is a hydrogeologist and has spent the last 32 years evaluating the upper Clark Fork Superfund complex, first as a consultant to Atlantic Richfield and then later as a project manager for Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Having retired in 2015, Joe now keeps his hand in Superfund as a board member and volunteer technical advisor to Citizens Technical Environmental Committee of Silver Bow and Deer Lodge Counties and as a board member of CFRTAC. (Bottom row, right)
Casey Hackathorn
Casey is a restoration professional who collaborates with private landowners, agencies, local governments, and NGOs to restore and protect watersheds and their fisheries. Casey is the Montana State Director for Trout Unlimited (TU). He previously led TU's Upper Clark Fork Program focused on reconnecting tributaries, reclaiming abandoned mine sites, conserving water, and restoring riparian habitat. (Top row, left)
Kathy Hadley
Kathy and her husband have lived along the Clark Fork River for a couple decades. She is retired from a 30-year career with the National Center for Appropriate Technology in Butte. She has served on the CFRTAC board for more than 20 years and has been involved in the Milltown/Clark Fork River Superfund site since 1986. (Top row, second from left)
Mark Mariano
Mark is a restoration ecologist who has engaged in Clark Fork Superfund projects from Missoula to Butte. He previously worked on vegetation monitoring of the Milltown Dam project, improving fish passage in the Clark Fork, and native plant revegetation of the Butte Hill. He is co-founder of Montana Wetlands and Waterfowl, and developed a renowned waterfowl protection plan for the Berkeley Pit. Currently he works with landowners and state agencies to reduce fish entrainment in irrigation systems across the watershed. Mark is a board member of George Grant chapter of Trout Unlimited and a committee member of Helena Ducks Unlimited. (Bottom row, left)
Josh Yarrington
Josh is a landowner along Clark Fork River (71 acres) and has some of the largest slickens in the valley. He is an Engineer (degree in Mechanical Engineering), an avid outdoors man and a can see firsthand the impact (& and cleanup) of contamination. He volunteered with conservation and civic organizations in Montana and elsewhere (TU, DU, Butte historic / restoration, food banks) and knows continued cleanup will not only help health of ecosystem and protect human health but be economic and social benefit to the whole watershed. (Not pictured)