Thursday, June 05, 2025
39.0°F

Site cleared for groundwater monitoring

HEIDI DESCH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 years, 9 months AGO
by HEIDI DESCH
Heidi Desch is features editor and covers Flathead County for the Daily Inter Lake. She previously served as managing editor of the Whitefish Pilot, spending 10 years at the newspaper and earning honors as best weekly newspaper in Montana. She was a reporter for the Hungry Horse News and has served as interim editor for The Western News and Bigfork Eagle. She is a graduate of the University of Montana. She can be reached at hdesch@dailyinterlake.com or 406-758-4421. | August 17, 2016 2:00 AM

The city of Whitefish will no longer be required to monitor groundwater at its parking lot at the corner of Second Street and Spokane Avenue.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has cleared the site for groundwater monitoring. The city purchased a portion of the lot in the mid-2000s from the former Big Mountain Tire in order to own the entire half block, where the parking lot now sits. The parking lot as it is today was constructed in 2009.

City Manager Chuck Stearns said ground water monitoring has been occurring for about 10 years on the site and DEQ felt the site no longer merited monitoring.

“After a certain time period then they can release the site,” he said.

When the city purchased the site there were leaking underground storage tanks on the site and the city inherited the obligation to remove the tanks and monitor the groundwater for contamination.

Stearns estimated that monitoring has cost the city under $10,000. It will cost the city about $6,6000 to remove the five groundwater monitoring wells from the parking lot, which is set for this fall.

The city’s tax increment fund has paid for all the costs associated with the wells including installation, monitoring and abandonment of the wells. The TIF fund also paid for the purchase and development of the parking lot.

Stearns said the city may be able to get a refund on some of its costs from the state’s Petroleum Tank Release Compensation fund.

Ground water monitoring was actually taking place at the site of the former Big Mountain Tire prior to the city purchasing the property, according to a 2005 article in the Pilot. Underground storage tanks removed from the site contained gasoline and waste oil.

MORE IMPORTED STORIES

Polluted soil: New headache for Whitefish project
Daily Inter-Lake | Updated 9 years, 4 months ago
Council OK's increase to City Hall construction budget
Whitefish Pilot | Updated 8 years, 9 months ago
Contaminated soil found at City Hall, parking site
Whitefish Pilot | Updated 9 years, 3 months ago

ARTICLES BY HEIDI DESCH

Flathead County board calls for pay increase
June 4, 2025 midnight

Flathead County board calls for pay increase

Seemingly striking a compromise, the Flathead County Compensation Board on Tuesday voted to recommend a 2.5% cost of living increase in county wages.

Whitefish works on upgrades to Armory Park
June 2, 2025 midnight

Whitefish works on upgrades to Armory Park

Whitefish City Council meets at 7:10 p.m. at City Hall, 418 E. Second St.

Cost increases driving Whitefish’s proposed budget
May 28, 2025 midnight

Cost increases driving Whitefish’s proposed budget

Personnel and overall operating costs are driving an increase in the proposed Whitefish city budget, which in turn is expected to bump property taxes.