Changes to septic regulations in Flathead County, including the use of gravity septic systems, will be up for a vote on Tuesday.  

Flathead-City County Health Board members will decide whether or not to pass along a recommendation to the county commissioners, who will give the final approval. The meeting is set for Feb. 24 at 1 p.m.  

The allowance of gravity systems is the largest change to the regulations for on-site sewage treatment systems, which the county has not permitted since 2004.   

Gravity systems typically move sewage through pipes to a drainfield, where it flows with the help of gravity. The sewage ends up in a graveled trench, eventually reaching the surrounding soil, where bacteria and other microbes treat the wastewater by removing pathogens.   

Many spoke out against the use of gravity systems during the public comment period for the proposed changes, including Joe Russell, who was at the helm of the health department from 1998 until his retirement in 2017.  

Flathead County has a lot of surface water, which he said requires a higher level of treatment. He recalled when the county no longer allowed septic systems in 2004, telling the board at its Jan. 26 meeting that health officials and engineers at the time determined that “uniform pressure was the best way to do it and the most economical." 

Uniform pressure septic systems work in a similar way but use a pump — outperforming gravity-flow systems because distribution is more uniform, controlled and can be used in any application, according to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, and pressure systems should be the “method of choice whenever possible.”   

Health Board members defended the position to allow gravity systems at a Feb. 12 meeting.  

County Commissioner Pam Holmquist said the intent was not to “degrade water quality” with the proposed change, but to give people who live in rural areas more options, particularly since gravity systems are allowed by the Department of Environmental Quality. 

She added that property owners would still have to meet the requirements necessary for a gravity septic system to be installed. 

“I don't believe that if we do this it's going to create this flood of people getting gravity fed systems, because you still got to have the right soils. Everything has to be by the book," Holmquist said.  

Health Board member Rod Kuntz said after researching the two systems, he ultimately feels it should be up to the landowner.  

“I would prefer to leave it up to the landowner, even if that makes it more difficult for our staff to deal with things. It's still property owner rights that I’m looking out for — personal freedom with how you manage your property and still meet the safety standards for our water quality,” Kuntz said.  

The board is set to vote on whether to adopt the findings of fact and conclusions for the septic regulations and construction standards proposal and make a recommendation to the county commissioners.  

The meeting takes place in Conference Room A/B in the Earl Bennett Building, 1035 1st Ave. W., Kalispell.  

Register to attend or make public comment online at flatheadcounty.gov/department-directory/health/board-health/. 

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