Letters to the editor April 27

Water quality

Flathead Lake is the valley’s freshwater jewel. We build homes around it, we recreate on it, and we boast about it when we show off our Flathead Valley home to friends and family. 

As residents, we enthuse about its stunningly clear water and we imagine that the lake’s qualities are permanent and will remain for our grandkids and their grandkids. But pristine water quality is not a certainty for our lake’s future. The lake is currently under significant threat as the Lakeside community grapples with its needs for an updated sewage treatment plan.

The Lakeside County Water and Sewer District is seeking approval to discharge 200,000 (eventually 900,000) gallons per day of wastewater into shallow groundwater located 1 mile north of Flathead Lake.. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is scheduled to issue a decision on this request very soon. The DEQ has previously issued a draft that claims the effect of municipal-scale disposal of wastewater will be “nonsignificant.” This claim is emphatically wrong. Common sense tells us why.

Go see for yourselves where this sewage effluent is targeted for discharge. As you crest the hill driving north from Somers and start your descent to the intersection of Montana 82 and U.S. 93, note the agricultural lands spread out in the foreground before you. See the oxbow sloughs that swell with groundwater every spring and soon enough release slough waters to the big lake. 

Know that some of those patchwork farmer fields are slated to receive the increased volume of Lakeside sewage. Despite what government agencies have been telling the citizens of our communities the sewage will not stay contained in the fields belonging to the sewer district. That effluent will end up in the shallow wells of the neighboring homes, in the adjacent sloughs, and most assuredly in Flathead Lake.

There are other locations for and solutions to the sewage treatment upgrades that Lakeside needs. It will be a tragedy if the water clarity and quality of Flathead Lake is seriously degraded by a shortcut solution to the responsible treatment of Lakeside’s sewage effluent.

This tragedy is avoidable. Flathead Lake is too valuable to degrade.

— Joseph and Anne Biby, Kalispell

Vote yes on the levy

Four generations of the Sliter family have proudly attended Flathead or Glacier High School. Our family strongly supports the upcoming high school levy. As graduates, we returned to our community to serve as teachers, accountants, bankers, small business leaders, and legislative leaders.

As members of the Kalispell community, we believe investing in the education of our youth is one of the most impactful ways we can shape the future of our town, state and nation. This high school levy is about providing our students with the resources they need to thrive academically and socially.

Our high schools currently face significant challenges, operating with the lowest funding among AA schools in Montana. This stark reality places our students at a disadvantage compared to their peers across the state. Without the approval of this levy, we risk falling even further behind in our ability to provide the quality programs, facilities and opportunities that our students deserve.

This levy represents a commitment to excellence — not just for students, but for our entire community. Strong schools attract families, support local businesses, and build a stronger future for Kalispell. It’s an investment that pays dividends for generations.

We urge our fellow community members to consider the long-term benefits of this levy. Let’s stand together and prioritize education, not just for today’s students, but for the generations to come. A “yes” vote on the high school levy is a vote for Kalispell’s future.

— Justin and Jennifer Sliter, Kalispell

Highway litter

I was so sorry to read the front-page article April 20 regarding Mr. Gilham who was grievously injured by debris flying out of a truck’s unsecured load. 

We live just off of U.S. 93 on the way to the county landfill. The garbage that accumulates on both sides of the road is disgusting.  

I also spoke with Flathead Public Works Director Dave Prunty several weeks ago and he was nice enough to explain the frustration they feel with few resources and scant funding to keep up with the situation. They do their best, but they rely also on the Adopt a Highway volunteers who are supposed to monitor the situation but clearly not often enough. 

Cameras could be installed at the entrance to the dump and a citation could be mailed to the vehicle owner. Perhaps a large sign before they get to the entrance telling those entering that there will be a fine for unsecured loads. 

Those who collect the fees as you enter the landfill might also be tasked with handing out the citations if that would work more effectively.

Hopefully, this issue can get addressed post haste, as tourist season is almost here, the danger is real and the unsightliness is embarrassing.

— Jill Williams, Kalispell