The Seeley Lake Sewer District met at the end of June to hear an update on the sewer project proposal from its engineering firm and on various funding opportunities available, and considered putting together a letter showing support from the sewer board for the project.
Steve Anderson, engineer with Water & Environmental Technologies, or WET, gave an update on the project proposal. It will make sense to design treatment zones based on elevation and treatment needs, Anderson said. This could require pump and lift stations, which in the case of lift stations in particular can be costly, he said. If lift stations can be eliminated, it can help with the cost, Anderson said.
Treatment requirements for all systems based on the current groundwater concentrations of nitrates will be seven and a half milligrams per liter of nitrates or less, ranging from a class two to a class four type of treatment system, Anderson said. The current nitrate treatment requirement for the state of Montana is 10 milligrams per liter.
“With the background nitrate concentrations there’s just no way around any of that,” Anderson said.
Anderson said evaluating different wastewater treatment technologies is a way to address costs, maybe by taking care of some areas that require more treatment with a larger collection system but using decentralized systems in more specific locations. SepticNet is the only system available for onsite decentralized systems of treatment that treats up to 5,000 gallons per day, Anderson said. A selection matrix that WET is working on creating will help assign different weights to various categories, like cost or treatment level, Anderson said.
“If you had unlimited funds, putting everything in the sewer is always the best option but for how Seeley is set up it might not be feasible to do that. There’s parts where you might have smaller cluster systems where it just treats 15 houses,” Anderson said.
Anderson finished his report talking about funding opportunities and how in talks he’s had with different funding agencies, people that have been involved in this project in the past are a bit hesitant to get involved again.
“Community support is vital for this project,” Anderson said.
The board heard from the Midwest Assistance Program, which helps rural communities and tribal nations with management and finance, and discussed Community Development Block Grants, which are awarded by the state. WET is working with Missoula County on grants and with the board on applying for grants from FEMA.
A representative from Senator Jon Tester’s office attended this month’s meeting and highlighted money potentially available in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — which provides federal money for new infrastructure projects and was signed into law in 2021 — and explained that Tester doesn’t pursue earmarked money, but can provide letters of support and serve as a resource for the board when it is looking for grants to apply for.
Bill Decker, sewer district manager, gave his manager’s report, highlighting the preparation and mailing out of the new assessment methodology to those in the district to view before the board voted on the assessments this month.
The board approved equal assessments for lots or tracts of land in the sewer district. Each lot or piece of land will be assessed for $60.71, providing approximately $30,597.84 for fiscal year 2025.
Decker also encouraged the board to come up with a letter of support or action for the sewer project to show comprehensive support from the board. The board intends to discuss and sign this letter, in which the board plans to include a project timeline, at the next meeting.
Decker provided an update on the earmarked money from Representative Ryan Zinke’s office, which is likely to be closer to $10 million than the originally indicated $18 million. In conversations he had with representatives in Zinke’s office, Decker said they promised to earmark money again next fiscal year, maybe providing $8 million to round out the originally proposed amount.
While a little disappointing, Decker said $10 million can still accomplish a lot.
“We can work with that,” Decker said.
Tyler Smith was newly appointed to the sewer board. Smith is the owner of Lakeside Excavation in Havre, Montana but owns property in Seeley Lake, which makes him qualified to serve on the board. The board approved keeping Tom Morris as chair and Pat Goodover as vice chair.
The next sewer board meeting will be July 18.
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