Whippoorwill Salvage Yard Near the Missoula Airport

Missoula County commissioners approved the resolution to support the location of this proposed facility at their public meeting on Jan. 5, 2023.

Neighboring property owners will receive a letter about an environmental assessment to take place. If you have further questions about this process, contact Brady Christensen, Materials Management at DEQ at bchristensen@mt.gov

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is considering granting a license to a private business to build a new vehicle wrecking facility on Whippoorwill Drive west of Missoula. The Missoula County commissioners held a public meeting on Dec. 15, which was then continued to 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, to determine whether the proposed facility will significantly affect the quality of life of nearby landowners and the surrounding community. After considering public comment, the commissioners will vote to adopt a resolution in support or opposition to the location of the proposed facility. DEQ may not grant a license to a facility that a governing body opposes.

Whippoorwill Salvage Yard is located at 4365 Whippoorwill Drive, which is west of Missoula and east of the Missoula Airport. Whippoorwill Farms LLC owns the property. The facility has submitted the appropriate paperwork for approval from the county zoning and junk vehicle programs and would operate as a private business.

State law requires that all junk vehicles be shielded from public view. Public view is defined as “any point six feet above the surface of any public road from which the wrecking facility and junk vehicles can be seen.” The application is for 10 acres of the 17-acre parcel, and DEQ has determined it would meet the shielding requirement.

This proposed vehicle wrecking facility is located between two automotive repair shops and borders a road and airplane museum, and there are no public recreation areas near the site. The nearest home is about a mile away. The yard will consist of a concrete pad with a vehicle stand that the applicant will use to drain all fluids from the vehicles before parts are removed. The combination of clay soils, stormwater management and use of best management practices should protect local groundwater and surface water from potential contamination. There will also be a shop building with concrete floors for removing parts, and the facility will have a front-end loader and forklift. Noise levels are not expected to exceed or add to current levels associated with the nearby highway or airport.

Missoula County commissioners will hold the second public hearing on this proposal at 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, in hybrid fashion. Show up in-person to the Sophie Moiese Room of the Missoula County Courthouse Annex at 200 W. Broadway or tune in via Microsoft Teams. The Teams link is available at http://missoula.co/bccmeetings. Commissioners will take comments on this proposal until the public hearing on Thursday, Dec. 15.

Watch the first meeting on Dec. 15 on Missoula County's YouTube channel