A group of wastewater management representatives from all over the Flathead region held their first official meeting on March 9, with the goal of providing more comprehensive and connected communication about wastewater treatment and its effect on Flathead Lake.
The mission of the collaboration, working under the name Flathead Regional Wastewater Management Group, is “to prepare a region-wide strategic plan for wastewater management, including septic tank discharge, based upon sound science and engineering.”
Though the FRWMG is not a regulatory body and would not dictate policy, members include representatives of various wastewater boards, cities, counties and tribal members.
Flathead County Commissioner Joe Brenneman explained his idea for the group is to have an overarching “incident command” to see the whole picture of the region’s wastewater management and advise different governing bodies near the Flathead watershed.
“If the issue of water quality is going to be addressed, it’s going to be in groups like this,” Brenneman said, not by the state or the Legislature.
Since most of the valley contributes to and uses the water at varying stages of its journey to and from Flathead Lake, the group agreed it made sense to look at the issues as a whole instead of in pieces.
These issues include reviewing existing wastewater infrastructure, reviewing new wastewater management techniques and conveyance capabilities. The group narrowed down their definition of wastewater to human sewage, and will not address stormwater runoff, livestock sewage or timber runoff.
To help the group effectively address wastewater issues and develop a comprehensive regional plan, Flathead County secured a nearly $90,000 grant from the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Renewable Resource Grant and Loan program. The group has a tentative two-year deadline for their work and will hold monthly meetings.
At their first meeting, group members outlined specific problems and concerns they had for wastewater management. Since one of the goals is to protect the water quality in Flathead Lake, many of the potential challenges centered around tracking and disposing of sewage from on-site sewage treatment systems, such as septic tanks.
Other challenges included complying with the Environmental Protection Agency’s future total maximum daily load restrictions, better communication between cities and municipalities, tracking industrial discharge and expanding or annexing sewer districts.
The member list is not yet concrete, but according to the grant, it should include one elected representative from each of the Kalispell, Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Polson city councils; a representative from each of the Bigfork, Lakeside and Evergreen water and sewer boards; a county commissioner from both Flathead and Lake counties; a representative from Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council and two citizen members appointed by the Flathead Basin Commission.
The FRWMG’s next meeting is scheduled for April 13 at 11 a.m.