Whitefish fined for sewage spills

By LYNNETTE HINTZE

The Daily Inter Lake

The city of Whitefish will pay a $41,200 fine and upgrade its sewage-treatment plant to settle a state enforcement action for sewage spills over the past two years.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality said the city agreed to increase the number of employees assigned to operate and maintain the sewage-collection system and to upgrade portions of the system over the next two years to prevent future overflows.

The order assessed a $41,200 penalty that includes a $16,236 cash penalty and a $31,735 payment to the Whitefish Lake Institute to purchase and maintain water-quality monitoring equipment.

Whitefish Lake Institute was formed in 2005 with the goal of providing information on Whitefish Lake and smaller surrounding bodies of water so officials and the public understand the effects of growth and can plan for the future.

On 16 occasions from January 2004 through June 2006, sewage from the city collection system overflowed manholes due to blockages in sewer lines or overflowed from lift stations due to equipment failures.

Sewage from some of the overflows reached Whitefish Lake or the Whitefish River but did not expose the public to the sewage, the state agency indicated.

The overflows put the city in violation of the Clean Water Act.

One of the most significant spills occurred in early May 2005 at City Beach, when faulty electrical controls at a sewage lift station caused sewage to back up in a main line that runs along the lakeshore to Bay Point.

The Whitefish Public Works Department estimated the spill at less than 5,000 gallons and reported to the state that it occurred sometime between May 5 and May 12.

The exact time wasn't known because automatic alarms failed to alert utility workers.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com