Kalispell city councilors voiced concerns Monday over proposed changes to county septic regulations striking the requirement that all septic systems use pressurized distribution.  

The change would allow gravity systems in Flathead County, which local conservation nonprofits warned at the March 10 meeting could harm the region’s high groundwater and abundant surface water without proper oversight. 

The Flathead City-County Board of Health recommended the change to county commissioners. Kalispell’s representative, Rod Kuntz, defended his vote in a letter to Council, saying it was based on scientific evidence and state Department of Environmental Quality standards. 

Proponents argue that gravity-fed septic systems are more reliable, cheaper and can better serve homes in remote areas without access to electricity because they rely on natural gravity to move wastewater from a home to a drainfield. 

But councilors echoed critics’ concerns. Mayor Ryan Hunter noted that the county adopted its 2004 pressure-dose requirement to protect groundwater and that the state recommends pressure-dosed systems for their more uniform and controlled distribution.  

Hunter gauged whether councilors wanted to send a letter urging commissioners to reconsider, but it failed to garner enough support after some worried weighing in on a county issue was outside their jurisdiction.  

Because all new developments within city limits must connect to the municipal water system, Councilor Sid Daoud argued that Council shouldn’t weigh in on an issue that doesn’t affect Kalispell residents. 

But Councilor Lisa Blank argued that any harm to the region’s water bodies, such as Flathead Lake, would still affect the community.  

“The people who are employed as a result of the resources that we have in that area, both in recreation, guiding ... it’s significant. So it does affect Kalispell in a number of ways,” Blank said. 

Councilor Kari Gabriel, a conservation educator, said she views the regulation as regressive, but opposed sending a letter unless it was jointly drafted with Whitefish and Columbia Falls.  

Hunter said coordinating a letter with the two cities before the county’s public hearing next week wasn’t feasible.   

A NARROW majority of councilors agreed to further explore allowing fourplexes in all residential zones during its final review of the new land use plan.  

Hunter strongly supported the move, arguing it would bring more “missing middle” housing to the market, help prevent sprawling neighborhoods and give small-scale developers a chance to build capital.  

“We need 500 units a year to stay even with the growth,” he said. “So it’s important to have the flexibility of increasing that supply over time.”  

Hunter, who lives near a fourplex, said it is hardly distinguishable from a single-family home. He added that mixing housing types into established neighborhoods can help bring together people from diverse backgrounds.  

“I have friends in those buildings that are of a different socioeconomic class, that I may never have met and have the opportunity to know if I didn’t live in a neighborhood with mixed housing types,” Hunter said. 

While allowing fourplexes is a measure that can be adopted under the Montana Land Use Planning Act, Council opted to pursue a standalone zoning update so design standards can be applied to ensure the buildings fit the surrounding neighborhood.   

Hunter and the four new faces on Council supported the move, but the four veteran councilors were skeptical that their constituents favored the change.  

“I think they’re great in new developments where everyone knows what they are buying into. I could never go into my neighborhood and say that I’m going to support a fourplex sandwiched into all these single residence places that are there now,” Gabriel said. 

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