Watchdog Groups Host Community Event to Air Concerns Over Wastewater Treatment, Traffic
A scientist and a representative from the Montana Department of Transportation were on hand to discuss Lakeside’s new sewage facility and address traffic concerns related to a proposed luxury development
By Zoë Buhrmaster
Last night’s community information meeting on sewer district impacts and traffic concerns, hosted by a trio of local watchdog groups, began with a science lesson.
Richard Hauer, an environmental consultant and professor emeritus at the Flathead Lake Biological Station (FLBS), began with an explanation on the necessity of data in “Western Science” versus public policy which involves “choices and tradeoffs.” He spent the next half hour explaining nitrogen and phosphorus levels in Flathead Lake and preferential flow pathways carved out by the Flathead River over time. He warned that those levels could increase with the new wastewater-to-groundwater sewage treatment system the Lakeside County Water and Sewer District is planning a mile north of Flathead Lake.
“The idea of upgrading your sewage treatment plant, really good one,” Hauer said. “You guys are facing a problem. You have to do something. The problem is what you’re going to do with the wastewater at the end.”
Citizens for a Better Flathead (CBF), the Upper West Shore Alliance and the North Shore Water Alliance co-hosted the Thursday evening meeting at the Lakeside Quick Response Unit building.
The agenda included Hauer’s presentation and results from a peer-review study that CBF had commissioned him to conduct on the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) environmental assessment for the new sewage treatment site.
Despite Hauer’s study, which argues that DEQ’s assessment underestimates the rate at which treated wastewater would seep into groundwater, DEQ approved the groundwater discharge permit earlier this year. Shortly after, CBF and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CKST) filed a lawsuit against the state, challenging the permit’s approval.
To mitigate potential impacts to the lake, “you’ve got to get the wastewater up and off of that floodplain,” Hauer said.
“The risk is too high,” Hauer said. “If they’re right, awesome, but if they’re wrong, the consequences are really, really severe.”
CBF is also suing the district, alleging that the board has failed to follow public participation laws. Mayre Flowers, the group’s director, said on Thursday that while some changes have since been made to the district’s website, there is still room to improve notifications in advance of the district board’s public meetings.
“We want the judge to say, ‘you have to create a reasonable policy, so the public knows your meetings,’” Flowers said.
Prior to the meeting, Lakeside County Water and Sewer District operators stood outside the Quick Response Unit building, handing out pamphlets with information on the district’s plan and an updated board meeting date.
The next board meeting for the district will be held on Thursday, Aug. 21 at 2 p.m. inside Lakeside’s Quick Response Unit building, instead of its usual day on the third Tuesday of each month.
During the second half of the meeting, Bob Vosen, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) district administrator for western Montana, spoke about traffic concerns around Lakeside; specifically, he addressed concerns about traffic related to proposed developments such as the Flathead Lake Club, a new luxury development and golf course near Blacktail Mountain.
A traffic study commissioned by the club’s developer, Discovery Land Company, showed limited impact because of the club’s seasonality. MDT is currently in the process of reviewing the study.
“I know there’s a lot of concern about that, I know there’s a short deadline,” Vosen said, referring to the limited amount of time MDT has to review it. “I’m working on getting an extension.”
While U.S. Highway 93 is in the state department’s jurisdiction, Vosen reminded the audience that the roads ascending Blacktail Mountain above Lakeside are not. He mentioned the limited budget that MDT has to work with, noting that at least 30 unfunded intersections in the department’s district need safety improvements.
“If there’s a way that the community has a desire to fundraise, to put in a crossing, you can do it a lot cheaper than what I can,” Vosen said. “Depending on what the fundraising looks like, it can be done quicker.”