Nov. 2003: FOTR Anniversary Brings Satisfaction, Challenges
By Mary Erickson
In the spring of 2002 a small and diverse group of neighbors met for lunch at the River City Grill. Our one common feeling was that the best scenario for cleanup at Milltown Dam was total cleanup, including removal of the dam. We agreed we wanted to see restoration of the river bottom into an area that would be functional from a hydrological standpoint as well as a real asset to our community.

We discussed the possibility of a more formal organization but tabled the idea in favor of a neighbor-to-neighbor approach. That began a quiet campaign of simply encouraging others who felt as we did to get educated and speak up.

Spring rolled into summer and our quiet campaign continued, but the ARCO endorsed spread of misinformation was increasing proportionately. Finally we agreed that it was time to encourage those “quiet voices” to join together and, hopefully, be heard with greater recognition and impact.
In September enough enthusiastic folks attended a meeting to get the ball rolling. Again the commonality of opinion was apparent as a basic direction was decided on and a name, Friends of Two Rivers, was chosen.

Now a year has passed. Many positives have occurred. Governor Martz announced her support for cleanup, opening the way for progress. EPA’s proposed cleanup plan recommended cleanup and dam removal. The State river restoration plan recommended natural channel design.
FOTR did not make any of this happen, but we feel that the contributions of countless hours of volunteer effort and unselfish donations by our members have made a difference.

We sponsored public meetings on arsenic contamination, the effects of sediment and dam removal on groundwater levels in the Milltown area, the structural condition of the Milltown Dam.
We published 6 newsletters reporting on these topics plus the EPA’s proposed remediation plan and the State’s proposed restoration plan.

We advocate informed public involvement and work hard to fairly rebut inaccurate or incomplete information.

We foresee a vibrant future for our area based on a clean environment and natural river system. The process often seems long but, as Benjamin Franklin said, “A little neglect may breed mischief.”