Alleged waste in bay actually was cattails

Last week’s incident of alleged human waste found in Bigfork Bay was actually a case of mistaken identity.

What was thought to have been human waste on the north side of Bigfork Bay was found to be decaying cattails, said Lisa Peterson, an information officer with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.

“It’s a case of mistaken waste,” Peterson said.

The alleged waste was first sighted April 8 and Julie Spencer, manager of the Bigfork Water and Sewer District, turned the incident over to the DEQ’s enforcement division after saying that it wasn’t coming from the Bigfork sewer system.

The sewer district took samples earlier this week and it was determined that human waste was not present but cattails were.

Evidence of slime and discoloration on the rocks and the exposed bay, which had previously been thought to possibly be associated with the waste, is now being attributed to rust and oil spills from boats and docks, Peterson said.

Based on the samples as well as photos submitted by the sewer district, there does not appear to be a waste issue, Peterson said. s

“At this point, it looks like they feel confident in the report [from the sewer district],” Peterson said of the enforcement officers. “From what we can see, it didn’t look like anything to indicate it [was a sewage dump].”

However, there was trash such as hygiene products floating in the bay, which had led some residents and Spencer to believe that the decaying cattails were waste. Those could have come from garbage bags that overflowed or any number of sources, Spencer said.

If anything, this incident should encourage residents to take more care with the bay, Spencer said.

“Try to keep the bay clean from trash,” Spencer said.

Though the samples came back as cattails, Peterson said the agency would follow up on reports it receives if people are still concerned or find evidence of sewage.

People can report concerns by calling the enforcement division at 406-444-0379.