The recent call for a community “Treasure Hunt” to find an alternative location for the Flathead County Septage Treatment and Biosolids Composting Facility overlooks an important fact: Flathead County has already spent significant time and taxpayer dollars conducting a professional, science-based site selection process.
The county hired a nationally recognized engineering firm to evaluate potential locations throughout the valley. Sites in Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Whitefish, the Flathead County Landfill area, Lakeside, and other county-owned properties were all considered before the current site was selected. The evaluation examined access, location, parcel size, proximity to existing sewer infrastructure, environmental constraints, floodplain issues, geotechnical conditions, and operational requirements.
According to the county’s public presentations, the criteria included finding a site that was centrally located, had adequate acreage, was reasonably close to a public sewer connection, provided good access, and could accommodate the setbacks and buffers necessary for the facility.
The selected site then underwent extensive due diligence, including geotechnical investigations, an ALTA survey, environmental review, floodplain analysis, roadway evaluation, and site planning. The findings concluded that the proposed facility could be constructed on the selected property and that potential impacts could be mitigated through design features such as odor control systems, setbacks, landscaping, and other protective measures.
Everyone agrees that protecting Flathead Lake and our groundwater must remain the highest priority. However, suggesting that no professional process has occurred is simply inaccurate. Before launching a new search, the public deserves an honest discussion of why years of engineering analysis, environmental review, and site comparisons already funded by taxpayers should be disregarded.
Good public policy should be based on science, engineering, and evidence—not on the assumption that a better site exists simply because we continue looking for one.
Marc Liechti
Lakeside