Kalispell has stopped composting its biosolids and is instead sending it to the Flathead County Landfill, but the shift has come with growing pains.  

City Council on Monday will consider long-term options for managing the city's biosolids as the municipality struggles to meet the county's standards for accepting the material.  

Council meets at 7 p.m., Oct. 26 in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.  

Biosolids, also known as sewage sludge, are solid organic byproducts of wastewater treatment. After being processed, biosolids become a nutrient-rich material that can be used in compost and as natural fertilizer.  

While it's a sustainable option for farms, Environmental Protection Agency tests have found hundreds of pollutants in biosolids, including PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. 

Kalispell once sent up to 70% of its biosolids to Glacier Gold Composting, with the remainder going to the Flathead County Landfill. 

But after Glacier Gold closed in September, the city began sending all its biosolids to the landfill.  

Despite upgrades to city's wastewater treatment center in preparation for the transition, the system still struggles to meet county landfill standards, according to a memo from Public Works Director Susie Turner.  

The county landfill requires biosolids to be at least 18% solid, which is in line with federal guidelines aimed at preventing heat-related chemical reactions that have damaged landfills elsewhere around the country. 

To achieve that standard, the city has had to blend the sludge with bulking material, according to Turner.  

City staff on Monday are expected to brief Council on dewatering operations at the wastewater treatment plant and present possible long-term solutions to clearing the county's requirements.  

Because Flathead County is starting to accept more sewage sludge from surrounding cities, it launched a two-year project gathering data to help understand how continually accepting high-liquid-level biosolids will affect landfill operations.  

COUNCIL WILL also review state law and city policies governing how public comment is received after recent meetings featured lengthy and confrontational public remarks.   

Councilor Lisa Blank proposed the discussion earlier in the month.  

"I feel like the temperature is rising, and I'd like to think that our staff also probably feels some of this," she said on Oct. 12. "I'd really like us to have a work session about how we make sure everyone feels safe, and that there's space for all of us to say what we have to say." 

Following the lead of his predecessor, Mark Johnson, Mayor Ryan Hunter has generally been lenient with the three-minute public comment time limit. But recent prolonged exchanges have led him to crack down on speakers who significantly exceed their allotted time, usually when it surpasses 10 minutes.  

Hunter has also started asking speakers to indicate whether they are a Kalispell resident and name the ward they reside in instead of providing a specific address.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 406-758-4407 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.