By Gwyneth Hyndman
Mike Lindemer, owner of Lindy’s RV Dump Station told the public and members of the Seeley Lake Community Council last Monday night, Nov. 14, that he offers a service that helps the community succeed.
“That’s my opinion,” Lindemer said, adding that there were “multiple rumors” going around about the dump site, including one that Lindemer had a refuse pipe running down into the lake, which he said was not true.
Lindemer, who was on the agenda at the council meeting, said he wanted to clarify that his site was approved by the Missoula County Health Department, and it was a site that was emptied three times a year. There was regular nitrate testing, he said, and the service he was providing ensured travelers in recreational vehicles weren’t dumping gray and brown water on public lands.
He also addressed the rising number of tourists he was seeing come through the area in the last three years and the amount of water that was used by guests stopping in at the dump site.
“June, July and August are the busiest months,” he said. “There’s been a slight decrease from last year.”
Visitation was trackable through the amount of water used by travelers. Water use was on an honor system, Lindemer said. In addition to recreational vehicles passing through, there were also four trailer houses on site that were there year-round.
In 2020, Lindemer said that water use was 187,000 gallons. In 2021, this had risen to 271,000. This number for 2022 was about the same he said, likely because of rising fuel costs and the general economy.
Questions from the public included the site’s longevity - if it was sustainable and capable of lasting another 10 to 20 years, and if funding for repairs would be sourced with private or public funds. Lindemer said he hadn’t looked that far ahead at this point.
Lindemer said he was a second-generation restaurateur in the area as the owner of Lindey’s Prime Steak House and pointed out that his kids would be the third generation. He was on multiple local boards and was community-oriented.
“I’m not doing this to make money - I’m doing this as a service.”
Following the meeting, Lindemer explained he had been asked by the council to speak, specifically to address concerns and rumors in the community.
“This is a licensed R.V. dump,” he said, adding that if he was not in compliance, he would have been shut down by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
In April, the Pathfinder reported that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) informed the community council that the RV Dump Station at Clearwater Junction wouldn’t be operational for the rest of 2022 because of issues with an effluent pump, which moves waste from the holding tanks to the drain field. The Clearwater Junction site has been managed by FWP for close to 20 years.
The Clearwater Junction site was on the agenda later in the council meeting and council members were told that Missoula County Commissioners had written a letter to FWP, asking for this to be made a priority for funding in 2023.
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