Kalispell City Council poised to bring industrial waste regulations up to federal standards

Kalispell City Council discussed industrial wastewater pretreatment enforcement at its work session Monday.

Before Council were an ordinance and two resolutions that would bring the city’s regulations in line with state and federal law. The text was drafted by city staff in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency over several years, according to Public Works Director Susie Turner.

Kalispell’s wastewater treatment facility now handles enough volume that the city is required to play a part in the sampling and enforcement of federal rules, according to Turner. The changes would require the city’s pretreatment coordinator to do sampling and permitting of certain industrial facilities to ensure they are not releasing toxic or dangerous waste into the municipality’s sewer system. The city’s treatment facility is unable to handle the industrial wastewater pollutants addressed in the new ordinance.

Council was briefed on the effort by Del Phipps, the city’s pretreatment coordinator, and Al Garcia of the EPA.

Phipps pointed out that Kalispell has only two industrial facilities that would be subject to regulations limiting discharges of pollutants, but that these rules would be in place for any potential future industrial businesses setting up shop in the city.

Councilor Sid Daoud questioned whether the changes would place additional burdens on private businesses.

Local businesses that discharge dangerous or toxic waste are already subject to pretreatment regulations, according to Phipps, who gave the examples of dental clinics, automotive businesses and restaurants that are required to capture or treat certain waste before it enters the city’s wastewater treatment system.

Phipps also told the Council that regulating industrial discharges protects municipal workers at the treatment plant.

And the regulations would protect the area’s lakes and streams from toxic passthrough by pollutants such as metals like mercury as well as preserve the city’s multimillion-dollar investment in the treatment facility, which is not designed to handle toxic industrial waste, according to Garcia.

The city could be subject to fines if industrial users were found to be in violation of federal clean water laws, he said.

Councilor Jessica Dahlman wondered if the new regulatory framework would attract significant industrial users that may generate toxic waste as part of their processes.

City staff reminded the council that industrial facilities in Kalispell are already subject to state and federal pollution laws.

The ordinance and resolutions could come before the council as soon as their next meeting.

Reporter Adrian Knowler can be reached at 758-4407 or aknowler@dailyinterlake.com.