Lakeside Wastewater Treatment Facility expansion continues despite opposition

Lakeside County Water and Sewer District cleared another regulatory hurdle last week when the Montana Department of Environment Equality approved the second phase of the district’s plan to expand and modernize the Lakeside Wastewater Treatment Facility, but the project is still drawing pushback from concerned advocacy groups even as construction moves forward.  

The Department of Environmental Quality on June 15 released a finalized Environmental Assessment of the second phase of the project, examining the district’s plan to modernize the treatment facility by constructing a sequence batch reactor to treat wastewater. With the finding of no significant impact, the district is now able to start the second phase of construction.  

The finalized assessment follows a contentious April public hearing on a draft version of the report during which concerned Lakeside residents questioned a 14-day public comment period and expressed fears that the draft assessment did not adequately examine the environmental impacts of the project. 

In the finalized assessment, the Department of Environmental Quality acknowledged the concerns raised at the public hearing but upheld the position of the draft assessment, which found that the proposed facility is expected to provide higher-level treatment when compared to the existing facility.  

Phase I of the project is 80-85% complete with a projected completion in late September, according to the district's General Manager Rodney Olson. The district will now seek bids for the second phase of the project. 

The current wastewater treatment facility was constructed in 1988 and is nearing capacity due to population increases in the Flathead Valley. The project seeks to update the technology used in the facility and increase the amount of wastewater that can be treated.  

In the first phase of the project, the district obtained a permit to discharge treated wastewater into state groundwater and was approved to construct a septage receiving and treating facility as part of an agreement with Flathead County. The facility will be the first in the region with the capability to treat septage. 

Both the district and opponents of the project have acknowledged the need for expanded wastewater and septage treatment capabilities in the valley, but community advocacy groups like Citizens for a Better Flathead, the North Shore Alliance and the Upper West Shore Alliance believe the chosen location in Somers is dangerously close to shallow groundwater and Flathead Lake. 

The three groups in May launched a “community treasure hunt” in an effort to bring together concerned citizens and experts to identify alternative locations for wastewater treatment facilities in Flathead County.  

The coalition has challenged many aspects of the project, including the groundwater discharge permit, the decision to select a sequence batch reactor as opposed to the more expensive but higher quality membrane bioreactor, and what the groups feel have been deficiencies in the public participation process. However, the coalition most takes issue with the chosen location for the project, which they believe will lead to pollution in Flathead Lake.  

“Instead of relying on a top-down government mandate, organizers are turning to the community to crowdsource potential locations that offer the lowest environmental impact and the absolute highest protection for the Flathead’s world-class water quality,” the coalition wrote in a statement.   

The treasure hunt has created confusion in the community about the actual status of the wastewater treatment upgrades, according to Olson, who has fielded calls from residents who believe the project has been halted or is moving locations.  

“We are not changing the site,” Olson said. “We believe in the site we have chosen. This facility is no joke. It’s a lot of money. There’s a lot of effort to do this right.”  

Citizens for a Better Flathead, though, believes there is a chance to halt construction at the current location. The group has filed multiple lawsuits in an effort to stop the project. The organization, along with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, have challenged the Department of Environmental Quality’s approval of a groundwater injection permit. The opposition groups hope the court will overturn the permit, forcing the district to abandon the partially completed expansion project and move the facility elsewhere. 

“Regardless of what the outcome of the court decision is, there is a need for a better location for safely accepted waste, which comes from all over the county,” said Mayre Flowers, co-executive director of Citizens for a Better Flathead. 

Lakeside County Water and Sewer District Board President Marc Liechti expressed in a letter to the residents of Lakeside and Somers that he does not believe the opposition groups represent the majority opinion of the community. 

“The continued challenges to permits, approvals, water rights, and infrastructure projects have resulted in additional costs, delays, and uncertainty. These impacts ultimately affect the entire community. The benefits of these projects extend beyond Lakeside and Somers, supporting housing, local businesses, employment opportunities, environmental protection, and economic stability throughout the Flathead Valley,” Liechti wrote.   

Olson feels much of the opposition is intertwined with the controversial Territory 1889 project in Lakeside, a 359-home and golf course development proposed by Discovery Land Company. Without the wastewater treatment facility expansion, Lakeside would be unable to accommodate the water and sewer needs for a development of that size. 

“They want to use us to stop development. We started this expansion years before they ever came. This project has nothing to do with Discovery,” Olson said. “We are just a utility company, and we're trying to do the work that we care about.” 

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.