Fearmongers pushing reckless agenda against Lakeside sewer

The recent letter criticizing the Lakeside County Water and Sewer District’s proposed rate increases is a masterclass in fearmongering, cherry-picked data and willful ignorance of environmental and infrastructure realities.

While the letter (A perilous path for Flathead Lake, July 15) claims to defend Flathead Lake, it instead advances a dangerously shortsighted and self-serving agenda that — if followed — would jeopardize the very resource it claims to protect.

Let’s start with the core contradiction: The authors claim to care deeply about preserving Flathead Lake’s water quality, yet they oppose the very infrastructure upgrades that are scientifically proven to reduce nutrient pollution. The Lakeside sewer system was built to address public health threats and pollution from septic systems and drainfields — sources of nitrogen and phosphorus that leach into groundwater and ultimately the lake. 

Now, with the system nearing both capacity and the end of its useful life, they suggest we steer future development back to septic tanks? Without additional capacity, developers will no longer be required to connect to the centralized system. More lakeside homes will be built on septic — a direct and growing threat to water quality. Pretending we can protect Flathead Lake while opposing modern wastewater treatment isn’t just naïve — it’s reckless.

 The truth is, whether people like it or not, the Flathead Valley is growing. Growth without infrastructure planning is what endangers the lake — unchecked septic use, unregulated effluent and a refusal to adapt. The idea that the district should “stay small” is not a strategy — it’s an abdication of responsibility and a denial of reality.

 Let’s also be clear: The demand for multiple audits, five-year capital plans and every spreadsheet imaginable reads less like a genuine call for transparency and more like a filibuster by a vocal minority trying to stall progress. Many of these documents are, in fact, part of ongoing planning and regulatory compliance. Suggesting that a few missing website uploads equals corruption is lazy innuendo. If the critics truly cared about good governance, they’d recognize that hiring professionals, securing grants, and issuing bonds to expand service is standard practice across Montana’s most successful utilities.

And let’s talk about what the opposition conveniently leaves out: The millions in state and federal grants the district has already secured to offset local costs. Or the fact that even with the increase, rates in Lakeside will remain in line with or below those in other Montana communities. Or that doing nothing is not free — aging infrastructure, environmental degradation and regulatory penalties all come with massive hidden costs they choose to ignore.

 And one more thing. Look at what happened in Big Sky: Their water and sewer district burned through almost $3 million in legal defense over five years, fighting lawsuits based on what a judge ultimately called “reckless misstatements and disregard of facts.” That’s money that should have gone to infrastructure — not legal fees. 

I sincerely hope the Lakeside community doesn’t suffer the same fate because a few loud voices push misleading claims and derail progress. Ratepayers deserve clean water — not court battles.

 The time for delay is over. Lakeside should be proud that its board is planning boldly, responsibly and proactively. Ratepayers deserve clean water and reliable infrastructure. Flathead Lake deserves real protection — not nostalgic slogans and obstructionist rhetoric.

Toby M. Liechti, P.E., APEC Engineering Inc. in Somers.