Voters allow sewer expansion in Bigfork

The Daily Inter Lake

A major expansion of the Bigfork sewer system that will allow higher-density development to take place north of Icebox Canyon has been approved by Bigfork property owners on a 279-91 vote.

The official election results, announced on Monday, will allow the sewer district to issue up to $2.5 million in bonds to pay for extending sewer lines almost two miles north along Montana 35, from the Lake Hills Shopping Center past Coverdell Road.

The annual bond payments are expected to be about $170,000. That will be covered entirely by the 49 new customers who have asked to connect to the new lines. Future customers who connect to the lines also will pay substantial late-comer fees, helping reduce the term of the bond.

The sewer extension is being driven by growth demands in the area, as well as by the need to assist property owners along Montana 35, several of whom are experiencing septic-system drainfield failures without adequate room for replacement drainfields.