Treatment facility full of shortcomings
The July 16 article in the Bigfork Eagle, “Construction continues on new wastewater treatment facility,” presents a concerningly optimistic view of the Lakeside County Water and Sewer District’s plans. While acknowledging the need for updated infrastructure, the article’s portrayal of environmental benefits and public participation misses critical issues that threaten Flathead Lake’s irreplaceable ecosystem. A closer examination reveals significant shortcomings in the proposed approach, especially given the lake’s unique sensitivity.
The article notes, the district’s general manager states the new plant will treat water “80% better.”
However, for an oligotrophic (low-nutrient) water body like Flathead Lake, “better” is insufficient; it requires the highest level of treatment. Studies of this shallow, sensitive aquifer document that Flathead Lake is already classified as an impaired water body. These studies emphasize that the cumulative impacts of adding large daily volumes of even “drinking water quality” effluent can lead to long-term harm not only to water quality but also to sensitive aquatic life, as it still adds additional nutrients to a water body that is already classified by the state as impaired and it adds emerging contaminants like PFAS and pharmaceuticals that disrupt delicate ecosystems.
Of additional concern is that the district has still failed to publicly reveal the proposed treatment technology they plan to use, which is crucial given that only advanced methods like reverse osmosis or membrane bioreactors with advanced oxidation processes can truly safeguard Flathead Lake.
Of significant concern is the district’s continued discussions of its cost-saving preference for using one of the lowest levels of treatment, a sequencing batch reactor.
Furthermore, the article mentions the new plant will become a “regional septage facility,” accepting septic waste.
It is a fact that septage is significantly more concentrated and variable than typical sewage, containing higher levels of pollutants that demand more oxygen from the water, tiny solid particles, fats, oils and grease, as well as new types of contaminants like pharmaceuticals and PFAS. Integrating this “super-concentrated” wastestream, even in “limited dosages” will severely challenge any treatment plant. This could lead to increased membrane fouling, biological process upsets and greater demands on resources, ultimately compromising effluent quality.
The article also notes that biosolids — the treated solid material remaining after wastewater treatment — will be collected and sent to the Flathead County Landfill. However, the name biosolids is misleading as they are typically 85% liquid and contain the removed concentrated contaminants found in sewage and septage.
This raises significant concerns. The Flathead County Landfill must manage all leachate — the contaminated liquid that drains from waste on site, and it lacks specific facilities for treating and disposing of leachate other than very limited evaporation. Disposing of such “super-polluted” waste in increasing quantities at an unprepared landfill poses a severe risk of leakage over time, as the life of even a high-quality landfill liner can be only 50 to 100 years.
Moreover, new studies raise concerns that leachate from biosolids can be corrosive to such liners. The impending closure of Glacier Gold, a local company that processes local biosolids into fertilizer, further exacerbates this issue, placing increased pressure on the landfill. It is important to note that the use of compost containing biosolids is being banned or limited in a number of states now because of the long-term contamination it can cause and the loss of agricultural lands it can lead to.
Finally, while the district claims to have exceeded public participation requirements, the lawsuit our organization, Citizens For a Better Flathead has filed and its supporting exhibits suggests otherwise. Our legal challenge, documents that pollution will flow into Flathead Lake “far more quickly and in more potent concentrations,” and underscores valid community concerns for all who cherish Flathead Lake and its pristine water quality.
Citizens for a Better Flathead is calling for a truly protective solution which requires a strategically located, regional facility far removed from Flathead Lake’s shallow aquifers, utilizing the most advanced treatment technologies, in an area with deep soils far above the water table, and robust, environmentally sound long-term disposal solutions for all waste streams. The existing facility should be capped at its current capacity with the district remaining small with critical upgrades prioritized to its aging delivery system, ponds, and wastewater treatment to allow for its current spray application on some 160 acres of alfalfa to continue.
Cameron Dexter is director of planning and policy at Citizens for a Better Flathead.