County holds hearing today on new septic rules

A public meeting today will focus on proposed changes to Flathead County’s regulations for septic systems.

County Health Officer Joe Russell and the Environmental Health staff will discuss the changes from 3 to 5 p.m. in the second-floor conference room of the Earl Bennett Building, 1035 First Ave. W. in Kalispell. The public is invited.

Russell said the Montana Department of Environmental Quality recently updated state construction standards for subsurface wastewater treatment systems and the county changes largely mirror what the state has done.

“We’re somewhat obligated to update our regulations when the state updates theirs,” Russell said. “I informed the Health Board that the best idea is to adopt the state’s as our standards.”

With that premise in mind, Russell said he worked to align the county’s regulations with state standards. After today’s discussion,  modifications will be made to the proposed changes and the Health Board will hold a public hearing at some point prior to final adoption.

The last major revisions to county regulations for septic systems were in 2005, when Flathead disallowed gravity-flow septic systems and began requiring uniform pressure distribution systems in which wastewater effluent accumulates in a dose tank, from which it is periodically pumped under pressure to the subsurface treatment system.

County regulations apply to both new and replacement septic systems.

Russell said the uniform pressure systems are “a little more expensive” than gravity-flow systems but they’re environmentally beneficial because they treat septic waste to a higher standard.

Although the state allows evapo-transpiration absorption systems where slow percolation or soil conditions preclude the use of a soil absorption system, Flathead County doesn’t allow such systems.

“We’ve never permitted the evapo systems,” Russell said, explaining that they’re used, for example, in areas where clay soil can’t accommodate drainfields. “We don’t have that problem and we don’t want to open the door to those types of systems, so we’ve taken that out” of the proposed county regulations.

Also not allowed in Flathead County are unsealed pit privies and seepage pits.

The proposed county septic construction standards are posted on the county website, flathead.mt.gov.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.