Federal money on the table for a wastewater project in Seeley, potential system design expected in couple months

Bill Decker sat in the beautifully lit meeting room upstairs in the Barn - what Seeley Lake residents refer to the combo museum, historical society and community meeting spot as - with legal pads and a folder of sewer-related information displayed in front of him. He was explaining a few things about April's sewer board meeting when his phone rang.

A representative from Rep. Ryan Zinke's office was on the other line with news of a chunk of money available from the federal government - through the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development subcommittee of the federal Appropriations Committee - that the office wanted Seeley Lake to get for a sewer project. Zinke's team was hoping for $18 million.

Over the phone on April 25, Sonny Capece, a staffer with Zinke's office, said with the announced closure of Pyramid Mountain Lumber, tourism is going to be the new economic driver of Seeley Lake, and to meet that end, the town needs a sewer system.

The deadline for the application for the funding was May 1 and it will likely be six months before it's known whether the sewer board's application was approved. In the application, Decker said the wastewater treatment project could begin in the spring of 2025 and finish in the fall of the next year.

In 2021, when a sewer project for the town was voted down, the cost for the first phase was $17 million. That's the number the money from the federal government is based on, but Decker said it'll likely cost $2 to $3 million more with inflation and the addition of a collection system.

Decker said the anticipated $18 million from the federal government could cover the treatment system phase of the project - which includes connecting sewer lines to the treatment system. The collection system, which ties each home to the sewer lines, can be built later, Decker said.

Without the announced closure of Pyramid and the ripple effects of concern for Montana's timber industry more broadly and Seeley Lake more specifically from politicians at every level of government, Decker said he didn't think this money would have materialized.

"It clearly, talking to the counties and communities, is a huge issue and we're listening and we're going to do our best to alleviate this issue for everybody," Capece said at the May sewer board meeting.

Steve Anderson, engineer with Water & Environmental Technologies, or WET, gave an update at the meeting on where the company is in the process of the feasibility study, which was approved by the board last month.

In the next eight weeks, Anderson said WET will evaluate different wastewater treatment technologies, rank the options on things like price and viability, and provide those findings to the board. With the anticipated federal money on the table, a design needs to be ready before the federal funding can be accepted, which Anderson said shouldn't be a problem. He said in the next couple of months, they should have a definite idea of where to go with the full design of the wastewater treatment system.

Part of the process over those months includes identifying "hot spots" of contamination and prioritizing those areas for treatment.

"From an engineer's standpoint...the absolute best solution is to get every single place we can on the sewer system and that's what we're going to shoot for...and with this other funding that's available...if we can get a few million more from other places that's even better," Anderson said. "That's where we're shooting at, to make this as painless as possible for the residents of Seeley Lake."

Next month, the board will elect, likely by acclamation, a person to an open seat on the board. Tom Morris, current board president, was elected by acclamation to a position on the board in early May when two seats were open.

There will also be a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. before the 6 p.m. meeting for residents to learn more about the assessment fees the board will vote on next month.

At May's meeting, the board approved purchasing QuickBooks for the sewer district, which will cost about $600 in the next fiscal year. A slight increase in fees - from $59 per lot per year to $60 per lot per year - will be discussed during the hearing.

June's meeting will be held on June 26 at the Barn or via Zoom.