Be safe on MT waters this summer Cold water can be deadly News from MT Fish, Wildlife & Parks
MONTANA — Montana has experienced six boating fatalities this year alone due to high water and cold temperatures. Even with summer temperatures, Montana has cold water year-round and it’s important to remember that cold water can be deadly. If you are recreating on or around water, remember to wear a life jacket and always tell someone where you are going and when you plan on returning. Here are the phases of cold-water immersion: — Cold Shock (initial entry to 5 minutes): Gasping for breath and hyperventilation are natural reactions to cold water. Try to get your breathing under control and avoid panicking. — Cold Incapacitation and Swim Failure (5 to 30 minutes): During this time, you will lose dexterity and grip strength. Cooling of arms and legs impairs the ability to swim. Even the best swimmers cannot continue to function in cold water. — Hypothermia: Cooling of the body’s core temperature eventually results in loss of consciousness. How quickly hypothermia sets in depends
on the water temperature, body type, clothing and behavior. Always seek medical attention right away. High water is dangerous: Montana is experiencing extremely high water, so if you plan to float on the lakes and rivers this summer, always remember to wear a life jacket. Accidents on the water can happen much too fast to have time to reach and put on a stowed life jacket. Make sure your life jacket is U.S. Coast Guard approved, appropriate for your water activity and fits properly. A life jacket that is too large or too small does not do a good job of keeping you safe. Also remember that just wearing a life jacket does not protect you in all circumstances. Always know the conditions where you are heading, be prepared, and consider other locations as needed. Check the weather, including the water temperature. Know the latest marine weather forecast prior to going out and keep a regular check for changing conditions. Always dress for the weather, wearing layers in cooler weather, and bring an extra set of clothes in case you get wet. Carry safety gear and know how to use it. Boating unprepared can have dangerous consequences. Sometimes it’s just better not to go; boat another day.
Lake County Solid Waste to implement tag program News from Lake County Solid Waste Management
LAKE COUNTY — Lake County Solid Waste Management operates the Transfer Station and Class 3 Landfill on North Reservoir Road and the C&D Landfill on Kerr Dam Road, both in Polson. The district also operates six rural container sites, and a recycling center with three community drop-off sites. Funds to operate the district are generated by a $180 per household fee collected from residential properties, including mobile homes. The fee is based on a family residential unit (or FRU) of 60 gallons of waste per week. The EPA estimates that each person in the United States creates 4.5 pounds of garbage every day. Commercial businesses and tax-exempt entities, like cities, schools, and churches, pay $180 for each FRU equivalent they generate. Some Tribal Trust residential landowners do pay this fee, but most Tribal trust landowners typically have not. The Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority does pay $135 for their low-income residential units. Due to illegal dumping, identity
theft from junk mail refuse, vandalism, and other concerns, the District Board of Directors decided to staff all rural containers sites. Container sites are for use only by those residential properties in the Lake County and Dixon Joint Refuse Management District which pay the solid waste fee. Those not participating in funding the services are not authorized to use the facilities. To assure users are authorized to use the facilities, the district has implemented an improved user tag program. This program has been in place at the Swan Valley site for a year. The site attendant will hand out forms for users to complete and return to our office. Once we confirm the user pays the solid waste fee, we will send them a tag. Users that do not pay the $180 fee when they pay property taxes will pay the district directly and then be billed on an annual basis. The tag must be presented when entering the site to prove the user is authorized. Enforcement of this policy will begin approximately 60 days after a site has become staffed. Along with staffing the sites, we will limit the days and hours at each site. Sites near each other will be open different days, to provide more
opportunity for users to dispose of their waste. Our goals include stopping illegal salvaging, which includes riffling through everyone’s trash looking for drugs and information for identity theft; preventing dumping by folks that do not pay for solid waste and eliminating the dumping of construction and demolition waste that should go to the landfill. We are aware that contractors from out of county are using our unstaffed sites to keep from paying for disposal in their own counties. All these things increase costs to the district. Another change at the sites is the installation of fall barriers as required by the Montana Building Code. These 42-inch-high barriers are in place for public safety, to prevent falls into the trash containers. Please obey all signage on the barriers and elsewhere throughout the site. The life you save may be your own. Ask the site attendant for an authorization form to receive your user tag. If you have questions about this policy or waste disposal, contact Lake County Solid Waste at 36117 North Reservoir Road in Polson, or call 406-883-7323.
EPA announces new drinking water health advisories for PFAS chemicals Agency establishes new health advisories for GenX and PFBS and lowers health advisories for PFOA and PFOS News from the EPA Press Office
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released four drinking waValley Journal
ter health advisories for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the latest action under President Biden’s action plan to deliver clean water and Administrator Regan’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap. EPA also announced that it is inviting states and territories to apply for $1 billion – the first of $5 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant funding – to address PFAS and other emerging contaminants in drinking water, specifically in small or dis-
advantaged communities. These actions build on EPA’s progress to safeguard communities from PFAS pollution and scientifically inform upcoming efforts, including EPA’s forthcoming proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for PFOA and PFOS, which EPA will release in the fall of 2022. “People on the front-lines of PFAS contamination have suffered for far too long. That’s why see page 6
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