The Lakeside County Water and Sewer board on Aug. 21 is set to vote on an increase of 61.7% for sewer rates.   

The new monthly flat sewer rate would be $78.62, starting in September, if approved. For noncompliance members, that increases to $109, according to the resolution set forth by the board.  

The increased rates will cover the cost of improving the district’s wastewater system, ongoing operational expenses, debt service payments to outstanding bonds and future additional bonds, and establish appropriate reserves, according to the resolution the board adopted on June 17.  

The board tabled the decision to increase rates in July, following pressure from ratepayers. More than 60 people showed up demanding a better explanation for the increase, according to a Daily Inter Lake article.

The rise in rates is far beyond the district’s typical 5% increase, which it's been imposing annually since 2022 to cover project costs to expand its wastewater treatment system, as well as operation and maintenance costs.  

A community meeting held by local watchdog groups on Aug. 7 discussed concerns over the rate increase, cohosted by Citizens for a Better Flathead, Upper West Shore Alliance and North Shore Water Alliance.  

Citizens for a Better Flathead Co-Chair Mayre Flowers addressed the audience, a packed room of around 80 people in the Lakeside QRU building. She claimed the district refuses to turn over the results of a $75,000 rate study that was budgeted, adding to the sentiment that there hasn’t been enough transparency about financial decisions made by the board.  

“It's lack of timely notices and Lakeside sewer and water district's refusal to provide key financial information so that you know why your rates are going up,” Flowers said. 

When asked about the rate study claim in July, district General Manager Rodney Olsen told the Daily Inter Lake he could not comment due to ongoing litigation with the group.  

Citizens for a Better Flathead filed a lawsuit against the Lakeside County Water and Sewer District in April, alleging the board did not follow proper public participation procedures before approving construction. Lakeside County Water and Sewer Board President Marc Liechti told the Inter Lake at the time that the district exceeded all legal requirements for public notice and participation. 

Flowers touted Bigfork Water and Sewer District’s handling of sewage treatment plant upgrades, where ratepayers voted for a bond to pay for those improvements. The difference is, Flowers said, there was ample information for voters to make an informed decision.  

She urged meeting attendees to sign up to help draft a “ratepayer’s bill of rights” which outlines rules for the “public participation process” and would require the district to post agendas for meetings two weeks in advance, among other measures to increase transparency, according to Flowers.  

“We need to show up at board meetings and say, ‘This is what we want, we want you to follow the lead of Bigfork and put this in place for our district so that we have control over how we're growing,’” Flowers said.  

Lakeside County Water and Sewer District staff did not present at the meeting. However, district staff handed out informational flyers about the wastewater treatment plant as attendees walked into the building. Flowers said they were invited to present but declined. 

The flyer presents arguments for the rate increases, which the district deems necessary to support the long-term operation and maintenance of the upgraded wastewater system.  

Funds will help cover increased electricity costs due to modern treatment processes, additional staff required to operate and maintain new facilities, increased wages due to advanced licensing requirements needed to operate the new plan, enhanced sampling and regulatory reporting requirements, debt service on infrastructure improvements and building a “responsible reserve fund for future system needs,” according to the flyer.  

The flyer also said the district has taken on “significant legal expenses” due to the lawsuits brought forth by the Citizens for a Better Flathead and one ratepayer.  

“Despite the lawsuit, no viable alternative solution has been proposed. While not explicitly advocating for septic systems, their efforts to block district growth and infrastructure upgrades would result in continued reliance on individual septic systems — which are more prone to nutrient leakage and groundwater contamination and less environmentally sustainable over the long term,” the flyer reads.  

At the board’s July meeting, Citizens for a Better Flathead outlined some other demands of the district: a comprehensive sewer rate, tax and fee study of the last five years, conducted by an independent consultant; audits of the district’s finances, which the organization accused the district of failing to produce since 2021; and annual calculations of charges for services. 

The group has also expressed great concern over the impact the expanded wastewater treatment plant could have on the water quality of Flathead Lake. At their Aug. 7 meeting, Richard Hauer gave a presentation about his independent research into the issue.  

A scholar and scientist at the University of Montana and professor emeritus at the Flathead Lake Biological Station, Hauer argued that the science and data supporting the district’s expansion plan are inadequate and that the project, as currently proposed, could harm the lake's pristine water quality.  

Citizens for a Better Flathead also filed suit against the Montana Department of Environmental Quality in May, following the agency’s issuance of a Montana Ground Water Pollution Control System permit needed to build the new wastewater treatment facility. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes also joined the lawsuit against the state.  

DEQ personnel found minor impacts related to increased soil moisture as a result of the infiltration system, but no other impacts to geology and soil quality, stability and moisture, according to the final environmental assessment for the project. 

The Lakeside district handout said the updated facility will provide an “85% increase in treatment effectiveness.” And point out that the treatment plant is set a full mile away from the lake, thus “providing both environmental buffer and operational flexibility.” 

The board’s meeting on Aug. 21 is at Lakeside QRU, 201 Bills Rd., Lakeside. The meeting starts at 2 p.m.  

Reporter Taylor Inman may be reached at 758-4440 or [email protected].