SEELEY LAKE - We chose to move to Seeley Lake for the beauty of the mountains, the lakes and streams, the critters, the snow…The small town.
Back then, the sewer, “to be or not to be,” was a topic of discussion – and it still is 16 years later and already had been for 10. No one can accuse the sewer board of acting too quickly! I paid attention from a distance reading newspaper articles and attending public meetings.
What I have paid close attention to are our lakes and streams. With the decline of the timber industry, Seeley Lake has relied economically on tourism. That tourism trade is a result of our bountiful natural resources, especially the lakes.
At the recent candidate’s forum, one question was “What are you afraid of”? I’m afraid that one of our beautiful lakes, most likely Salmon Lake, will ‘tip.’ To understand a lake tipping, think covered with green scum. That green scum can also be toxic – poisonous to humans and other animals. No one will recreate in a lake that has tipped.
Many of you have seen a dramatic aerial photo of a blue-green algae bloom on Salmon Lake in 2013. On that same day, there was a bloom on Placid. A few days later, a bloom on Seeley Lake. Those caught my attention and I now keep an eye out for late season blooms. I continue to see much smaller blooms on Placid, Seeley and Salmon. Just last year, residents around Placid were warned of a blue-green algae bloom and advised to buy their drinking, cooking and bathing water. Our lakes are stressed. They need our help.
It has been stated in the many discussion forums that a sewer system in the town of Seeley Lake will not help Seeley Lake itself. That is partly true. Much of the contaminated ground water from the failed septic systems in town actually flows into the river below Seeley Lake and is contributing to the problem in Salmon Lake.
The Sewer Board has thoroughly researched the issues and options and has determined a sound course of action to start correcting the ground water contamination problem. We cannot afford to put off installing a system any longer. We will lose major funding and we may lose one or more of our lakes. If that happens, I’m afraid for the future of Seeley Lake. We can develop ways to fund the cost of the sewer. We cannot as easily develop ways to repair our lakes.
I urge voters in the Sewer District to vote for the incumbents Mark Butcher, Bob Skiles, Mike Lindemer who have been working on this issue for YEARS and are the most knowledgeable. This is not a time to change direction. Rather let’s join with them to aggressively develop funding sources to help lower monthly bills while the system is being installed. We have three years. Surely we can be successful if we work together.
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