Opponents look to sink boat facility

A boat-storage facility proposed along the Flathead River has raised concerns for area residents.

As of Thursday afternoon, the Flathead County Planning and Zoning Office had received 39 letters opposing the project. A handful of letters called for more study, and the file showed no letters in support.

The Flathead Conservation District, one of the permitting agencies handling the proposal, will hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. Thurasday in the Glacier Room at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kalispell.

The meeting may be more for show than substance, however.

Negative public reaction isn't cause for the district to deny the permit. A permit for three boat ramps, two large docks and 90 feet of riprap cannot be denied based on possible future impacts such as shoreline erosion due to increased boat traffic.

"The board will have a hard time denying it," said Larry Van Rinsum of the conservation district.

The same goes for the county flood-plain permit that has been requested. As long as the applicant meets benchmarks required by the regulations, public comments will not affect granting of the permit.

Pete Rice, owner of North Country Automotive and Marine, along with his stepson, Jason Eliason, propose the project on a 25-acre parcel of unzoned, riverfront property on Riverside Road about 3.1 miles south of the Creston Fire Hall.

Rice could not be contacted for this story.

The property is in an area designated as a special flood-hazard area by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The first phase of the project includes construction of a building to house 60 boats, three boat ramps (to launch and retrieve boats as long as 44 feet) and two removable 40-foot docks.

Total potential build-out could include another four storage buildings that could hold 200 more boats. Maximum use is predicted at 80 boat launchings per day.

Letters from writers ranging from Whitefish to Columbia Falls to Bigfork call the project "ill-conceived," "dangerous" and "a disaster."

Todd Johnson, who lives on Riverside Road and owns a commercial fishing boat in Alaska, wrote that waves from boat traffic will increase erosion and the facility will dump toxins into the water.

"It all seems like a sucker bet to me," Johnson wrote. "My experience with boat storage facilities is that they are environmentally unfriendly places."

According to the application, Rice and Eliason's land historically has been used for pasture and hay production. To make room for the boat ramps, access road and trailer turnaround, an area of about 120 feet by 80 feet of riparian vegetation would be removed.

Native trees and shrubs along the remaining 550 feet of riverbank would be left in place to the greatest extent possible.

Angular riprap would be installed to help prevent erosion for 30 feet upstream and 60 feet downstream.

Numerous letters opposing the project spoke out against installing riprap.

On Feb. 7, the Flathead Basin Commission hosted a panel discussion on stream-side setbacks. Paul Hansen, a former professor at the University of Montana, spoke of the ill effects caused by riprap. One major effect, he said, was that riprap actually causes water flow to speed up, which in turn creates greater erosion problems downstream.

The potential impact on property between the proposed boat facility and Flathead Lake - a distance of eight river miles - has landowners calling for the project's demise.

"No one denies Mr. Eliason the right to have a residence on the property, nor does anyone deny property rights of homeowners, but this facility goes way beyond property owner rights," John and Peggy Hinkle wrote. "By allowing this type of facility to be placed on the river, you will be consenting to the rape of the Flathead River by Mr. Rice and Mr. Eliason."

The Hinkles own property about 1.5 miles below the project.

"This proposal has no merit for the community, the road, the river, the adjacent waterways, recreation improvement or anything else I can think of," wrote Marty Boehm, a Riverside Road resident. "What it will create is a superhighway for boating traffic, which there is no way to control, mitigate or manage."

Traffic on Riverside Road also is a concern for those living in the Creston area. The road is popular with local cyclists but doesn't have any shoulder to speak of. Recreational use - coupled with farm equipment, livestock and wildlife - could run into dangerous situations as boat owners drive up and down the road.

"Riverside is another example of where the planning office needs to start considering existing infrastructure before approving all this unbridled development," Don Hauth said. Hauth cycles Riverside Road frequently.

Others are taking a big-picture look at water quality issues, saying this development could have far-reaching consequences beyond a small stretch of river. Jonathan and Nancy Lippincott pointed to the recent imbroglio over a proposed mine in Canada at the head of Flathead River's North Fork.

"How can we have credibility in urging Canadian officials to stop disturbances to the Canadian portion of the Flathead River when we permit downstream activities that cumulatively have a similar destructive effect on our watershed?" they wrote.

Reporter Michael Richeson may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at mricheson@dailyinterlake.com