Greenpeace

To Whom It concerns, My name is Tom Pratt. I recently went for a float down the Bitterroot River in southwestern Montana. Just before you reach Poker Joe Fishing access, you go through a section that the banks are lined with old cars from the fifties. This is called riprap. Most people I have talked to agree that these cars are an eyesore. I started calling People to try to figure out what the story was behind these cars. From Talking with Tom Ruffatto I learned that these cars had been put there by the railroad company,(either Burlington northern or Northern Pacific) on three different occasions, starting in 1959. The cars were used for riprap as well as to create a levee. The levee is about 1500 feet long and keeps the river from going on its natural path which goes around an oxbow to the east of the levee. I have noticed two problems with this levee. One is the fact that the levee is defunct, the river has destroyed and overflowed through the middle of the levee. The other problem is that the oil was never drained from these vehicles, and has seeped into the Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge. I have documented with photos oil sheen that has accumulated on the banks and small pools along the river. Most of these oil sheens occur along the Lee Metcalf border or actually inside. I have found oil sheens over one mile down river. I have called the EPA, Montana Department of Environmental Quality, and the Ravalli county sanitarian they all are aware that some sort of problem has occurred. I’m sending this letter to local media outlets as well as any organizations that might be concerned about Pollutants in the Bitterroot river. Please Help me Spread awareness of this Problem. Please get in contact with me if you would like any more information. Thanks, Tom Pratt