Environmental Advocacy Groups Begin ‘Community Treasure Hunt’ for a New Flathead County Septage Facility Location
The groups are seeking an alternative to the septage treatment facility currently under construction a mile north of Flathead Lake
By Zoë Buhrmaster
As construction continues on a new, expanded wastewater facility for the Lakeside County Water and Sewer District (LCWSD) and Flathead County’s septage, local conservation groups are launching a “community treasure hunt” to find a different location for the project. The groups — Citizens for a Better Flathead (CBF), the North Shore Water Alliance, and the Upper West Shore Alliance — have criticized the current site for its location a mile north of Flathead Lake, citing environmental concerns.
“It’s not a matter of is this going to work,” CBF Co-director Mayre Flowers said. “It’s a matter of how are we as a community going to grapple with waste that doesn’t risk the water quality of Flathead Lake or any other major waterbody.”
Flowers and the conservation groups are kicking off the hunt for a new facility site on Tuesday, May 26, at Flathead Valley Community College. The event will include a deep dive into why current septic systems in the Flathead Valley are under pressure, a presentation from a representative of the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology on groundwater in the valley, and a talk by Mike Koopal from the Whitefish Lake Institute on septic leachate studies and risk models.
The evening will also include an interactive session detailing an environmental checklist that participants can use to begin researching other potential locations for Lakeside’s wastewater facility.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) last year approved phase one of the project, which authorized construction of the new septage receiving facility, new screening system, new headworks facility, a buried main connecting the facilities, and replacement of a lift station. The state also approved a groundwater discharge permit to allow treated wastewater into groundwater, which CBF argues will more quickly impact groundwater than the state’s environmental assessment states it will.
DEQ officials are expected to make a decision on phase two of the project in the next few weeks, which includes a plan for how the district will treat wastewater before it is transferred into groundwater.
CBF is currently looking to halt the project in two separate lawsuits. One challenges DEQ’s decision to approve a groundwater discharge permit for the first phase of LCWSD’s expansion plan, with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) as co-plaintiffs. The other includes a local ratepayer and alleges the wastewater district violated public participation laws.
Tuesday’s event will also serve as a launching point for a community task force to review public site suggestions. Flathead County officials entered into an agreement with the LCWSD in 2024 after a long search for a wastewater district willing to take on county septage. Meanwhile, Lakeside officials have pointed to costs as a primary reason for the current project’s location, as running sewer out of the area would increase bills for local ratepayers.
Flowers said Tuesday’s event will encourage community members to look into a variety of state and public lands that could be viable sites. Participants will also consider alternatives for sewage treatment including waste-to-energy methods. She said the conservation groups hope to build a task force with a variety of community perspectives and skillsets.
“When I started to research what other communities do, they put together a task force and study opportunities,” Flowers said. “We’re just a small nonprofit. I don’t have the capacity to do as much research as I’d like. But I’m always amazed at the kind of people who come out of the woodwork.”
The event is May 26 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the college’s Arts & Technology Building, room AT-139.
It is free and open to all community members, Flowers said.