Health board OKs pair of variances
The Flathead City-County Health Board approved two sewage treatment system variances recently.
One was a request to allow four temporary holding tanks at a new 41-space McGregor Lake recreational-vehicle park.
The other allows a 35-foot setback from surface water by the force main to the drainfield servicing the Sekokini Springs Fish Hatchery on Blankenship Road near West Glacier.
Health Officer Joe Russell recommended approval of both with safety conditions to capture leaks or warn of overflows.
Discussing the RV park request, Russell said that engineer Jeff Larsen was thrown a curve ball when the Department of Environmental Quality reclassified RV waste as high strength after he designed the McGregor Lake system.
“That put the applicant in a really bad position,” Russell said. “He had to look at alternate wastewater treatment designs and asked for a little more time.”
He told board members that the variance would allow the holding tanks for three years while Larsen and the owners find and build the best alternative system.
According to Larsen, the former rules only required a system designed to handle residential-strength sewage. He said RV wastewater tends to be stronger since it isn’t diluted by washing machines and as many showers.
He said he has collected data from another RV park to challenge some aspects of the new standards, including the presumed average flow rate of wastewater from each RV and the nitrate strength. Larsen said he also would collect data at the McGregor Lake park as well and build the system in the third year based on the DEQ requirements at that time.
Before voting, board members wanted reassurance that the three years would not be extended and that appropriate facilities exist to accept the sewage pumped from the tanks. Russell pointed out that the DEQ approval expires in three years, providing an incentive, and that treatment facilities have the capacity to accept the sewage pumped from the holding tanks.
Board members voted unanimously to approve the McGregor Lake RV Park three-year variance with provisions requiring a high water alarm in the fourth tank and that sewage be disposed of at a state-regulated facility.
Addressing the Sekokani Springs Fish Hatchery request, Russell said the site has several ponds and watercourses near the facility that make it impossible to convey the sewage to the drainfield with 50-foot setbacks from all surface water.
To mitigate the reduced setback, environmental engineer Jim Murrell proposed placing the sealed components in a watertight sleeve that would catch and drain any leaks into a water-tight containment basin equipped with an alarm.
He said the pumps lifting the sewage up to the drainfield would only operate when staffers are on the site so the alarm would be heard.
“This is the most conservative plan I’ve ever seen in conjunction with a variance request,” Russell said.
Murrell added that he has checked and found materials are available for the sleeve and basin. He also said the system was designed for five people using the restrooms but usually only two people staff the facility.
Health board members voted unanimously to approve this variance requested by the U.S. Forest Service, which owns the land, and the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks which operates the hatchery.
In a separate issue, board members heard that the Garden Bar in Bigfork has been released from its plan of compliance initiated because of poor health inspection scores but remains on an accelerated inspection schedule and must receive at least a B from future inspections.
• Flathead County Home Health exceeded or matched state and national averages as well as local competitors on nearly all quality measures reported to Medicare and available online for consumer comparisons.
• Dog numbers at the Flathead County Animal Shelter have jumped up again with 22 added in the last few days.
Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.