Kalispell’s plan to drill new drinking water wells to replace those contaminated with forever chemicals will have no significant environmental impact, according to an assessment by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.  

The state department’s review was required for Kalispell to secure funding for the nearly $18 million project. The cost will be covered through the Emerging Contaminants in Small and Disadvantaged Communities Grant program and from a loan forgiveness program funneled through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. 

“The project is not expected to have any significant adverse impacts upon terrestrial and aquatic life or habitat including endangered species, water quality or quantity, air quality, geological features, cultural or historical features, or social quality,” read the report, which was released in January. 

Two new well sites will eventually replace the Grandview Wells and Armory Well, which have consistently detected levels of per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, since they were tested in 2022.  

But before drilling begins, the city is replacing two transmission mains that will connect the forthcoming wells to the water distribution system consisting of 141 miles of water mains.   

A new 24-inch main is being installed under Buffalo Hill Golf Course, replacing the existing 20-inch pipe that is nearly a century old. The increased diameter will provide additional water capacity and improve reliability, according to the city.  

Construction was expected to begin in January and is slated to wrap up by spring to avoid disrupting golf course operations.   

The main will connect to a cluster of four wells near the decommissioned Noffsinger Springs site, which once relied on a natural spring. The city will drill down 300 to 400 feet to access the deep alluvial aquifer.   

Another transmission main beneath Woodland Avenue will be replaced with larger piping and connected to two wells eventually being drilled at Dry Bridge Park. The main won’t be replaced until the spring, Public Works Director Susie Turner said.  

Turner expects City Hall to hire a contractor to drill the new wells by late February or early March. Test drilling found no presence of PFAS at either well site, but they will be continually sampled to comply with federal standards, she said.   

Because the project is being funded through state and federal programs, Turner doesn’t expect it to raise water rates. She hopes to have the entire project completed by 2028.  

PFAS ARE widely used, long-lasting chemicals that break down very slowly over time, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The highly soluble chemicals commonly infiltrate public water supplies through spillage from commercial and industrial facilities.  

Ingestion has led to adverse effects in reproductive health and child development and resulted in an increased risk to types of cancers. 

Levels at the Armory Well have tested below federal regulatory limits that rolled out in April 2024, but the Grandview Wells site consistently surpassed them.    

The site that sits near Flathead Valley Community College was fitted with a treatment system in October 2024, which effectively removed PFAS from water leaving the well, but city officials call it a temporary solution.  

Turner said she doesn’t know yet what will happen to the contaminated wells after they are replaced.  

“I’ll have to see what’s in the best interest of the city,” she said.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and [email protected].