Sewer project targeted for 2007
Kalispell is planning an $11.3 million expansion of its wastewater treatment plant - a project that calls for better odor control and increasing the plant's capacity.
Construction begins in summer 2006 and the two-part project should be finished in summer 2007. The city had planned to have the expansion done in 2010 but growth pushed up the time line.
"Because growth has occurred so quickly," Public Works Director Jim Hansz said, "we're going to have it on line by 2007."
The initial phase will tackle odor control by installing systems that use an aerated biocompost mound that filters air through microorganisms to reduce smells. Air from the sewage plant will be carried through pipes into the biocompost pile. Microorganisms in the biocompost break down the smelly compounds.
When the plant was built 12 years ago, it had a chemical odor-control system that has since proven to be ineffective.
"Old technology," Hansz said.
"And not very effective, obviously," plant manager Joni Emrick added.
The plant's odor will decrease as improvements are made. How much of a decrease is noticeable, though, is in the nose of the beholder.
"We're not able to quantify it in terms of you're going to see a 50 percent improvement or anything like that," Hansz said.
Smell is subjective, so some people will notice a greater difference than others, Emrick said. The first phase also calls for modifications that will reduce energy costs.
The second phase will improve the lift stations that carry wastewater from the first stop in the plant to the second stage where liquid flows by gravity through the rest of the plant.
The city will make other improvements and will further expand the plant's capacity, although the buildings themselves won't look much bigger to the casual observer, Emrick said.
The plant currently can handle 3.1 million gallons of sewage per day and produces a daily average of 2.6 million gallons of treated effluent that is discharged into Ashley Creek.
The expansion will allow the plant to process 4.5 million gallons per day. The system is designed to handle larger flows should inflow peak during a storm.
As sewer flows increase, there will be larger amounts of pollutants such as phosphorus and nitrogen in the treated water. But the city will discharge smaller amounts of those pollutants than allowed by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
For example, the city can discharge 26 pounds of phosphorus a day. The Kalispell plant puts out 2.6 pounds a day. So even if the city doubled the amount of effluent it put out, it still would be well below state limits.
Kalispell also is refining the treatment process to bring down the amount of pollutants released, so the increase will be less than 50 percent even if the city were to reach the full capacity the expansion creates, Emrick said.
Monthly rates paid by existing customers and connection fees from new users will pay for the project. The city has been planning this project for several years and so has gradually increased monthly rates to help pay for the improvements. Connection fees were similarly increased and will pay for the expansion components of the project.
"We have the system set up so the rate payer isn't paying for growth," Hansz said.
In the future Kalispell might sell bonds to cover construction costs. Connection fees and monthly rates would repay the bond, Hansz said.
In the meantime, the city has been setting aside portions of connection fees to pay for the project.
Reporter Camden Easterling can be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at ceasterling@dailyinterlake.com