State looks for source of pollution

Human waste and hygiene products aren’t what people expect to see while strolling down the shore of Bigfork Bay, but that’s what some saw last week.

Julie Spencer, manager of the Bigfork Water and Sewer District, confirmed sightings of waste along the north side of the bay.

The waste was first reported April 8.

“It’s disgusting,” said Bill Myers, one of the people who spotted the mess. “It’s a clear health and safety issue that needs to be addressed.”

While she’s not sure of the source of the waste, Spencer is sure that it’s not from the Bigfork sewer system, which just went through a cleaning and camera inspection.

“I don’t know where it’s from,” Spencer said.

The substances found along the shore were too big to have gone through the sewer system, which would have broken them down, she said.

Spencer contacted the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.

The complaint has been forwarded to the agency’s enforcement division, which tried to find the source of the sewage, according to Lisa Peterson, information officer at the department.