This summer, no operations at Holland Lake Lodge have been approved.
Holland Lake Lodge Owner Christian Wohlfeil submitted an operating plan for 2024 but since the wastewater treatment system is unable to function at the level needed for the plan, the Forest Service has not approved any operations and Wohlfeil hasn’t submitted an updated plan, Chris Dowling, Swan Lake District Ranger, said at a June Swan Valley Community Council meeting.
A design firm is looking at a replacement or repair of the wastewater treatment lagoon, which was found to be leaking in October 2023, and is considering alternatives to a lagoon for treatment. Dowling said he expects to see the firm’s report on options and feasibility by Oct. 1. Work on the wastewater treatment project could begin next summer and be completed as late as 2026, Dowling said.
A price tag of $600,000 is attached to the project. As the Northern Region of the Forest Service, based in Missoula, sees the wastewater treatment system as important for the operation of the campground and the lodge, it has provided funding for the work, Dowling said.
The RV dump and flush toilet bathrooms at Holland Lake are closed due to the lagoon’s inability to process waste. Porta-Potties are available.
Dowling said the lagoon has been stabilized after reports of leakage. According to studies done by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality in partnership with the Forest Service, there hasn’t been any groundwater contamination documented.
At the June Swan Valley Community Council meeting, Dowling said Wohlfeil is still actively trying to sell the property. The Forest Service was contacted by an interested buyer, Dowling said, but that it isn’t uncommon for potential buyers to contact the Forest Service about its permitting processes.
“When we get engaged in the process and take action is only once we receive documentation from the owner of the company and the completion of the sale of the property and a new buyer submits an application, and that’s when we start getting into reviewing for capability,” Dowling said at the meeting.
Wohlfeil has the authority to sell the lodge, Dowling said, and the Forest Service has not received any documents indicating sale.
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