The Kalispell City Council was flooded last week with complaints about faulty drainage in several Kalispell neighborhoods.

Don't tread water on drainage issues

Flooded basements and crawl spaces, sinking lawns, and cracking sidewalks and driveways in several parts of the city are all red flags that it's time for city officials to push drainage issues to the top of Kalispell's agenda.

Several factors play into Kalispell's water woes.

The Flathead Valley is coming off a multi-year drought, and the first few wet months of 2006 have put the area about two inches above the normal year-to-date precipitation.

Kalispell's water table is close to the surface, especially in south Kalispell, where subdivision development has been brisk. It's safe to assume that all of the disruption to soil has affected some historic drainage channels as well.

Rapid development hasn't proceeded unchecked, but it apparently hasn't had the level of oversight needed to avoid water problems. The city began addressing drainage problems only a few months ago by hiring an engineer with expertise in water management. From now on, there will be more inspections and reviews to hold developers accountable, officials promised.

But that's little solace for homeowners slogging through flooded basements and crawlspaces.

As open space for new residential growth is gobbled up in Kalispell's planning jurisdiction, developers tend to look at how they can make a profit on more marginal tracts. That scenario is already playing out in Whitefish, where City Council members have admitted that nearly all of the problem-free land has already been developed within the city's jurisdiction.

Kalispell City Manager Jim Patrick maintains the city has "things in place to resolve" the drainage issues. A pending state permit will lock Kalispell into reaching specific stormwater drainage management goals during the next five years.

But is five years too long to wait for a workable citywide drainage system?

Last year, Whitefish took the bold move of passing an emergency zoning ordinance that put new development on hold in sensitive drainage areas while a master utility plan was completed. Whitefish was also faced with dozens of complaints about stormwater runoff patterns being altered by new development.

With Whitefish Lake at its side and Big Mountain looming to the north, Whitefish has long had drainage problems. Longtime residents knew it would be only a matter of time before normal precipitation levels would wreak havoc in developments that encroached on historic wetland areas.

The emergency measure seemed to work well for Whitefish. While the city completed its master stormwater plan, it continued to process development applications so that construction could proceed once the master plan was finished and an appropriate drainage plan was approved. Just two weeks ago Whitefish passed the regulations that will dictate development in critical drainage areas.

Kalispell may want to consider a similar emergency measure that would expedite drainage solutions for the city. Faulty drainage systems aren't easily corrected in neighborhoods built without taking a master utility plan into account.

If the wet weather continues, the recent rash of homeowner complaints may be the tip of the iceberg for Kalispell.