Staff at Lakeside County Water and Sewer District (LCWSD) began noticing in 2020 that the ponds that hold wastewater over the winter were “bumping up” against capacity. It’s a key part of the cycle in the aerated lagoon system the district has historically relied upon to treat wastewater.
The following spring, staff began looking into building a new storage pond at the facility. New regulations that required ground support in case of an earthquake, however, increased the price. Adding another storage pond would cost between $11 and $12 million instead of $4 million, said Marc Liechti, the district’s president.
“It makes no sense to continue building ponds and patching up for another five to 10 years,” said Liechti. “Let’s just look at what’s really smart to do now and take that step and go to another system.”
Out of the next several years came a two-phase plan to build a septage receiving facility for Flathead County, as well as a new wastewater treatment facility for Lakeside. Earlier this year, DEQ approved a permit for the district to discharge treated wastewater into groundwater. Somers is also part of the water and sewer district.
Now, the district is proposing a $30 increase per month in sewer fees for ratepayers. The average combined sewer rate for a single-family home (assuming about 5,000 gallons of wastewater per month) will go from $43 per month to $73 per month.
A study by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) conducted between 2017 and 2023 shows wastewater rates have jumped in other cities across the state in recent years, with some ranging from $85 to $105. Rodney Olson, general manager for the district, said a need for better systems, inflation, and an uncertain economy all play a part in the increase.
“We don’t get to pick and choose what’s going to happen in the economy once you start a project like this,” Olson said.
The price tag includes labor costs, administrative and overhead expenses, electricity, fuel, routine equipment maintenance, contracted services and chemicals that the new facility will include.
“The district does not just need an upgrade,” Olson said. “We are changing everything in the way that we treat wastewater today.”
The current estimate of total costs for the new facility sits at around $58 million, though Olson said that the number is “conservative” and subject to change with the second phase and as the district receives construction bids. Funds will also come from system development fees paid by developers, grant money, and the district’s reserves. The current estimate of what will come out of ratepayers pockets sits at around $28 million.
A large part of that, he said, comes from the operational costs that it will take to run the new facility. Staff at LCWSD visits the current plant once a week in the summer. The new plant will require a minimum of two full-time employees year-round on the site.
On July 15, ratepayers and community members attended the district’s board meeting for a public hearing on the rate increase. Many attendees were upset, raising concerns about the additional monthly cost and questioning what the proposed fees were funding.
“When looking at rate increases,” said Tom Carlson, a Lakeside resident. “Some of us may want to have a vote.”
Community members also said they were concerned that the fees were increasing because a proposed development by Discovery Land Company in Lakeside. Costs that would be incurred by the development would come largely out of the developer’s own pocket in plant investment fees and additional late comer’s fees for the out-of-district connection, and would not be charged to ratepayers, Olson said.
Another item on the board’s agenda is Ordinance 25-4, an amendment to change the regulatory code that sewer rate increases operate under from an ordinance to a resolution. Ratepayers and community members can submit public comment under both regulatory frameworks, and state law requires the board to hold a public hearing for both prior to any significant rate changes.
The water side of LCWSD already performs rate changes under resolutions, and so the change is a way to match the “paperwork process,” Olson stated in an email to the Beacon.
At the end of the meeting, the board tabled the decision to raise sewer rates until its next meeting on August 19.
A local watchdog group Citizens for a Better Flathead (CBF) and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) have filed a lawsuit against the state with concerns about the impacts the new wastewater treatment plant would have on Flathead Lake.
Next week, CBF and other community organizations are co-hosting a community information meeting in Lakeside for a Q&A on alternatives to the sewer rate increases and congestion issues in the city.
The meeting with be held at 7 p.m. on Aug. 7 at 201 Bills Road in Lakeside.