After more than four hours of discussion on Wednesday about noise and the integrity of a plastic liner for a manmade lake at the proposed Rosewater water-skiing subdivision, the Flathead County Planning Board reaffirmed its support of the development.

In March the county commissioners approved a zoning overlay for Rosewater, planned east of Whitefish Stage Road and north of Rose Crossing, but sent the proposal back to the Planning Board for further review on three issues: adequacy of the proposed liner for a 27-acre lake; the long-term maintenance of the liner and lake; and boat noise.

The board re-adopted the findings of fact for the project, adding a 35th finding saying it believes the impacts to public health and safety regarding noise are acceptable because of the commissioners’ decision to change the manmade lake from a permitted to a conditional use.

That will require the developer to get a conditional-use permit from the Flathead Board of Adjustment to have a functioning lake for water skiing.

A conditional-use permit gives the county a measure of oversight over the water-ski lake, county Planning Director BJ Grieve said, because the permit could be enforced as a zoning violation if the conditions and other regulations placed on the project aren’t followed.

The board also agreed to require an operation and maintenance manual for the lake before the final plat is granted. A requirement for monitoring wells near the lake and long-term maintenance was placed on the project by the board following the first public hearing in February.

Now Rosewater heads back to the commissioners for subdivision approval. There won’t be another public hearing and no further public comments will be taken.

Bill Tanner of Score Management wants to build the 58-lot subdivision in two phases around a manmade lake on 154 acres of farmland near the Whitefish River. The land most recently has produced winter wheat and canola with an irrigation system drawing water from the river. Tanner has an irrigation right and plans to use river water to fill and maintain the lake.

Tanner’s team of engineers and consultants addressed concerns about the thickness of the liner. The proposed 30-mil polyvinyl chloride liner is one of the most commonly used liners for projects of this nature, Tom Cowan of Carver Engineering said.

“We don’t think the liner is going to leak,” he said.

Kirk Lilleskare of Northwest Linings said his company has more than four decades of experience with installing liners and has used them successfully in all sorts of applications  in the Flathead Valley and throughout the Northwest.

The consultant presentations weren’t enough to persuade neighbors to change their minds about the potential hazards of the liner.

Andy Palchak reminded the board the liner isn’t warrantied a day longer than 20 years and is the thickness of three playing cards. He maintained that the developer plans to install the required monitoring wells and then will turn over the responsibility for the “inevitable liner failure” to the homeowners association, which then will be stuck with the expense.

Any environmental degradation from liner leaks that would saturate the ground and run into the river would affect the county beyond the neighborhood, Palchak said.

Robin Street, who lives on Rose Crossing and has farmed there for decades, continued to reiterate his concerns about the liner and the developer’s plan to use irrigation to draw down the water.

An operation and maintenance manual submitted to the Planning Office calls for a planned 9-inch drawdown of water each fall, though that figure likely would be adjusted as needed. Because of neighbors’ concerns, there no longer is a plan to pump water back into the Whitefish River.

“If you allow this to be built, it should be built to the highest possible standards,” Street told the board. He favors a 60-mil liner and said the county should follow a state recommendation for a layer of clay beneath the liner.

Bill Ashe, who lives on Pine Grove Lane, echoed the concern about the 20-year lifespan of the liner. Any leaks could contaminate private water wells, he said.

“And we don’t want to listen to boats every day of the week,” Ashe said.

Tanner addressed the noise issue at length, explaining how he visited a water-skiing subdivision in Gilbert, Ariz., and couldn’t hear a boat as close as 150 feet away. Normally, one boat would be on the lake at a time, he said.

“I knocked on doors around the [Arizona] lake and asked people, ‘Do you hear the boats?’ and the answer was no,” Tanner said. “When I think about [the Rosewater neighbors] crying wolf, I wonder how many have been to a water-skiing lake.”

Tanner further pointed out that water-ski boats used in such subdivisions must meet USA Water Ski standards and have noise reduction equipment. USA Water Ski is the national governing body of organized water-skiing in the U.S.

Greg Alsbury, an avid water-skier who has been working with Tanner, said he has been around several manmade lakes and noise isn’t a problem.

“It doesn’t seem right to compare [ski boat] noise to chain saws and motorcycles,” Alsbury said.

He also supported Tanner’s plan for the 30-mil liner.

“The reason other [water-ski] lakes have leaks is they didn’t use the right liner,” he said. “This one will last over 100 years if it’s installed properly.”