County wise to ink septic agreement with Lakeside

Flathead County last week reached a deal with the Lakeside County Water and Sewer District to build and operate a regional septage treatment facility.

Make no mistake, this agreement represents a significant milestone in the effort to responsibly accommodate the county’s rapid growth while simultaneously protecting the environmental integrity of rural Flathead Valley.

Under the terms, the county will provide incremental payments up to $23.5 million to the district to construct a new wastewater treatment facility that will be able process septage waste, along with improving its ability to treat wastewater and increase overall capacity. The bulk of that cost will come from about $17 million the county was awarded from the American Rescue Plan Act, with additional funds from state grants.