The Acme Working Group is hosting a public meeting to provide an update on recent and upcoming activities at the former Acme Power Plant. The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm at the Downtown Sheridan Memorial Hospital Conference Center at 61 South Gould Street on Thursday January 24. Presenters will provide a brief background and description of the site and updates on historical documentation and recent site stabilization activities and information on upcoming assessments. Presentations will be followed by an open-house where participants can visit individually with project partners and agency coordinators.
The Acme Working Group was formed in December 2017 to provide technical guidance and assistance to the Sheridan County Conservation District, who currently owns the site and is responsible for overall project coordination. The group consists of representatives from the Sheridan County Conservation District, the Sheridan Community Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Sheridan County, Sheridan Travel and Tourism, Montana Dakota Utilities, Sheridan County Museum and Historical Society, and the adjacent landowner.
The Acme Power Plant Reclamation Project is a community effort to address environmental and safety concerns at the former Acme Power Plant located along the Tongue River. The purpose is to make the site suitable for public use in the future. While specific future uses have not been determined, expectations for any future use include protecting water and land quality, ensuring public access, and capturing the historical importance for the site. A project website (www.acmeprojectwyoming.org) includes more information.
Recently, contractors for the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality removed some of the most pressing and accessible contamination at the site. While not addressing the full extent of contamination, these activities will prevent further contamination of the site and surrounding area. Future assessments, planned to begin in the coming months, will determine the full extent of contamination and include a plan for addressing environmental concerns.
Project partners request the public’s cooperation in respecting fences and adjacent landowners. Preliminary assessments identified contamination in surface soils, groundwater, sediments, and building materials throughout the site. Anyone accessing the site (especially illegal trespassers) has the potential to track contaminants to surrounding areas and/or injure themselves among the debris.