Bigfork study takes shape

The Daily Inter Lake

A study exploring Bigfork's mysterious storm-water system is quickly moving forward and looks to be completed by next spring.

Flathead County Commissioner Joe Brenneman met with representatives from the engineering firm Morrison-Maierle on Friday morning to discuss the details of the proposed storm-water system study.

"We are moving right along," Brenneman said.

This summer Brenneman was informed by Bigfork residents of a system of pipes and drains running under the community with unknown origins and destinations.

Little is known about the storm-water system. Who constructed the tangle of underground pipes, or even when, is still unknown.

The system has caused much concern because a number of the pipes deposit sometimes-polluted runoff into unsafe areas. One pipe even empties directly into the Bigfork Bay of Flathead Lake.

Before the system can be corrected, a study must be conducted to further understand the big picture.

The study will be funded through a planning grant through the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, a grant from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and funds from the Flathead Basin Commission. All will be used to pay for the study, estimated to cost between $35,000 and $40,000.

At Friday's meeting, Brenneman and engineers from Morrison-Maierle came to a consensus of how extensive the study will be and the area it will encompass.

The area includes the Flathead River Basin, ranging from Wayfarers State Park to the Flathead River.

Brenneman said representatives from Morrison-Maierle will get back to the county in the next few weeks with a concrete amount needed to fund the study.

"I'm optimistic that we'll have enough money for the project," Brenneman said.

Brenneman will present the project's status to Bigfork community members on Thursday at a public forum at noon at Bethany Lutheran Church.

The county has been successful in securing a number of grants and other funding mechanisms to pay for the study.