<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3CKlQS_0v0WIwwP00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3CKlQS_0v0WIwwP00" width="1200" height="630" >Sacagawea Lagoon was contaminated by petroleum byproducts after heavy rains washed uncured binding mix from Livingston roads down storm drains and into the public waterway on Monday, according to City Manager Grant Gager.An oily sheen glistened on the water, while temporary signs were posted declaring the lagoon as closed. On Thursday, a sewer vacuum truck siphoned contaminates from the lagoon, per Gager.“We were chip sealing on Seventh, Eighth and Ninth streets, west of Crawford Drive,” said Gager, when unexpected heavy rain at 4 p.m. Monday caught the city’s road crew off guard.It deluged .46 inches in a 20-minute span in Livingston, according to the National Weather Service.“It flowed into our stormwater system, which worked as designed, but the stormwater in that section of town is not pre-treated before it enters the lagoon,” said Gager, who explained the chip sealing work began at 7 a.m.Chip sealing is the process of applying a coating of asphalt oil and fine crushed rock over a road to protect the street surface from water and weather damage, and to keep the roads in good condition. Chip sealing is done annually in Livingston, according to Gager.Gager explained the city’s public works and fire departments joined forces to place absorbent booms near a weir at the lagoon’s western edge, preventing floating material from entering Fleshman Creek, which flows into the Yellowstone River.After the contaminants were isolated, a sewer vacuum truck suctioned them from the lagoon on Thursday. City workers removed contaminated soil and brush from the area earlier in the week, per Gager.“Observations of the east end of the lagoon did not indicate any of the contaminated stormwater made it that way,” said Gager, detailing the scope of the city’s cleanup effort, conducted in consultation with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ,DEQ officials were onsite Wednesday afternoon, reviewing Livingston’s cleanup efforts.“We await feedback and direction from the DEQ,” said Gager, who cited initial state reports as indicating the city’s cleanup effort was successful, and no additional immediate action was necessary. The assessment of the lagoon’s water quality consisted of a visual inspection, per Gager, as chemical water testing was deemed unnecessary.“We discussed water quality testing with the DEQ and internally,” said Gager, who explained officials do not have a baseline water quality test to compare to. “We may implement water quality testing in the future or at the DEQ’s request.”“It is important for the community to know the city regrets the discharge of contaminated stormwater into a public waterway,” said Gager. “Our team took every effort possible the past few days to mitigate negative impacts. We are taking lessons learned on how we operate moving forward, potentially including a stormwater treatment protocol. We hope and expect to remove the signage and current restrictions around the lagoon in the coming days.”Gager explained while Monday’s incident was noticeable because of the volume and concentration of petroleum byproducts in the water, it is important for the community to recognize all rain events bring petroleum products, sand and debris from area roads into the water.“For that reason, we never recommend people swim in the lagoon,” said Gager.</div></body>

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Montana lagoon contaminated by asphalt sludge after heavy rain

Sacagawea Lagoon was contaminated by petroleum byproducts after heavy rains washed uncured binding mix from Livingston roads down storm drains and into the public waterway on Monday, according to City Manager Grant Gager. An oily sheen glistened on the water, while temporary signs were posted declaring the lagoon as closed....