At a second work session to discuss the city’s budget last week, the Whitefish City Council discussed the need for a project to reduce the amount of water being shifted from Haskill Creek to Viking Creek and eventually to Whitefish Lake. 

Whitefish Public Works Director Craig Workman said that in the summer months, as demand for water increases and the flow in Second and Third creeks decreases, the city begins using more water from Whitefish Lake.  

For years, there has been concern about how much water the city takes from Haskill Creek in the summer and the health of the lower stretches of stream. 

“We've worked really hard over the last couple years to make sure that we do not run Second and Third creeks dry at our intakes,” Workman said. “We've been working on a project, probably five or six years now, to try and control the intake at Second and Third creeks so that we waste less water, or spill less water, at the reservoir at the water plant.” 

The goal is to keep the water in Haskill Creek and eventually the Whitefish River, rather than being lost to Viking Creek and the lake.  

Supervisory control and data acquisition is involved in both options. 

One option being considered is SCADA-based remote telemetry that would give operators the ability to control the intakes at Ssecond and Third creeks from the water plant. 

"It's a very large cost project; it's not cheap," Meeker said. "It'll probably push, with consulting and everything, probably up toward a million dollars." 

The other option, recommended by Workman, is an actuated valve located at the treatment plant. It would stop drawing from Second and Third creeks when a certain intake capacity is reached. 

"If the valve will still push water back into the main stem and prevent the loss to Viking Creek, that's a pretty good win, and that's probably where the aquatic habitat benefit would be realized all the way down to the river," Mayor John Muhlfeld said. 

John Phelps, chair of the Haskill Basin Watershed Council, told council that the city's engineering firm, AE2S, estimates 30% of the water the city takes from the Haskill Basin flows over the reservoir spillway and into the Viking Creek drainage. 

He said with the actuated valve, the city would still take too much water from Second and Third creeks, put it in First Creek and still risk drying up Second and Third creeks. 

"To us, the radio telemetry system is the only thing that will solve the problem," Phelps said. 

Workman said the 30% of the water from Haskill creek that overflows the reservoir is an annual average and that very little water overflows the reservoir when the creeks are at their lowest levels. 

“The city works hard to reduce unaccounted water loss through a variety of projects such as leak detection and repair, cast iron pipe replacement and water meter upgrades," Workman said. "In addition, Council adopted a water conservation ordinance in 2019 to promote responsible use of potable water.” 

Phelps also said AE2S recommends the SCADA radio telemetry system. 

"That's not accurate," Workman said. "The water master plan ... recommends against doing the remote telemetry at the head gates until the actuated valve is proven not to work." 

The City Council directed staff to put $50,000 toward getting a better cost estimate of the telemetry option. 

"Rather than making a decision tonight on increasing the budget, I think that money should be more allocated toward bringing back on AE2S and doing more of an updated cost engineering analysis of what the two alternatives would be so we have a more informed decision-making platform," Mulhfeld said. 

The Haskill Basin Watershed Council also wants the city to determine if the reservoir is leaking. This issue is also addressed in the city's water system master plan. 

Drafts of the city's water system, wastewater and stormwater master plan drafts will be discussed at the Aug. 17 Whitefish City Council meeting. 

Reporter Julie Engler can be reached at 406-862-3505 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at whitefishpilot.com/support.