Council OKs sewer for outlying subdivisions

Kalispell is setting aside 100,000 gallons a day of its sewage treatment capacity for subdivisions outside both the city and the Evergreen water and sewer district.

A major chunk of that 100,000 gallons a day will go to the Cottonwood Estates Subdivision plus another tiny subdivision.

The Kalispell City Council approved those decisions 6-3 Monday after plenty of philosophical wrangling over the city sewage treatment plant's role in the growth of both Kalispell and the surrounding area.

"That plant is a Kalispell-area plant. It was not put there solely for the people of Kalispell. It was put there for ecological purposes," council member Bob Hafferman said.

However, council member Randy Kenyon argued that the city does not know enough to set aside 100,000 gallons a day for noncity subdivisions wanting to hook up to the city's sewage system.

"Is it in the best interest of the city of Kalispell?" Kenyon asked. "We don't know. We do not have sufficient facts at this time to make a decision. What happens when the fifth, sixth, seventh subdivision wants to come in?"

Monday's debate and decisions stemmed from Kalispell dealing with sewer service requests from some Flathead County subdivisions that are not adjacent to the city.

Kalispell's plant can treat 3.1 million gallons of sewage a day, and an expansion is under way to raise that capacity to 5 million gallons by 2007.

Right now, the city plant treats 2.7 million to 2.8 million gallons a day.

The city is contractually obligated to set aside 682,000 gallons a day of its capacity for Evergreen. Evergreen actually uses roughly 450,000 to 500,000 gallons a day.

However, new county subdivisions - not adjacent to Kalispell but within a few miles of the city - have approached Kalispell for permission to hook up to the city's system either independently or through Evergreen's sewer lines. In return, those subdivisions would agree to be annexed when Kalispell's boundaries stretch out to them.

Kelsey Subdivision, which is partly within Evergreen, was granted such a request in accordance with the Kalispell-Evergreen contract.

However, the 38 1/2-acre Cottonwood Estates and a 3 1/2-acre portion of Bernard's Park - both just outside the Evergreen district - want to hook up to the city's system. At least two more subdivisions northeast of the city are poised to make similar requests, City Manager Jim Patrick said.

"I think the rush [of new outlying subdivisions] will be on, if we do pass this," council member Hank Olson said.

The City Council recently hired two engineering firms to map out how water, sewage and stormwater services should be expanded in areas where Kalispell might grow. That study is expected to take about six months.

Council member Bob Herron requested that 150,000 gallons a day of the city's treatment capacity be set aside to handle requests from outlying subdivisions until the sewage expansion study and recommendations are completed.

Herron trimmed that request to 100,000 gallons during Monday's meeting.

Council supporters of setting aside the 100,000 gallons argued that Kalispell needs to be a good neighbor to nearby rural areas, and that letting them hook up to the city's system helps cut down on rural sewage seeping into the aquifer.

"We have a responsibility to the city. But we also have a responsibility to our neighbors - the county," council member Duane Larson said.

Council opponents of the measure argued that it is premature to set aside sewage capacity for outlying subdivisions before the sewer expansion study is complete, especially with expected state pressures to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus in treated sewage.

They also argued the measure locks the city into an action with insufficient information, and that the council's primary responsibility is to Kalispell residents.

"This action will tie the hands of those during the [sewage expansion] study," council member Jim Atkinson said.

Mayor Pam Kennedy and council members Herron, Olson, Larson, Hafferman and Tim Kluesner voted to set aside the 100,000 gallons a day for outlying subdivisions. Atkinson, Kenyon and Kari Gabriel voted against the measure.

Along the same lines, the council voted 6-3 to allow Cottonwood Estates and the small portion of Bernard's Park to hook up to the city's plant through Evergreen.

The city staff said it did not know how much of the set-aside 100,000 gallons that Cottonwood Estates would need. Herron said he consulted with some engineers who believed Cottonwood Estates would produce 50,000 to 55,000 gallons of sewage a day.

Reporter John Stang may be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at jstang@dailyinterlake.com