LAKESIDE — The Lakeside sewer expansion has been a heavily contested topic for a long time, and the community is preparing to fight back.
It was a packed house Thursday night at the Lakeside QRU, where residents gathered to hear more about a wastewater expansion project.
“If you keep showing up like this, the board is going to start to get the message that you're not real happy with the way they're doing things,” Citizens of a Better Flathead Executive Director Mayre Flowers says.
Watch to learn more from the meeting:
The expansion, which has been in the works for years, has recently begun construction after fears of nearing capacity.
The project has gathered locals' attention due to environmental concerns about the disposal of wastewater.
“What has come as a proposal from DEQ and the sewer district is to dispose of that water by injecting it into the surface sands around the sewer plant," University of Montana Flathead Lake Biological Station professor emeritus, Dr. Richard Hauer told MTN.
Hauer was reached out to by the Citizens for a Better Flathead to get a professional opinion.
“There are routes of water, routes in the sand, that the water can likely take…where it will end up in Flathead Lake in a matter of weeks or months,” Hauer says.
One of the biggest concerns about wastewater leakage is algae growth that will harm the health of the nearby waters.
Citizens for a Better Flathead has filed two lawsuits regarding the wastewater issue.
Watch previous coverage: Montana DEQ issues permit to expand Lakeside wastewater system
The first was against the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the second against the Lakeside County Water and Sewer District.
The first lawsuit against DEQ alleges that they are ignoring the possible harm to local waters after issuing a permit to the Lakeside County Water and Sewer District.
The second lawsuit was filed against the Lakeside County Water and Sewer District, arguing that they violated the public's constitutional rights to know and participate.
“We've said to the judge, we didn't have right notice, we didn't have access to the documents, under our Montana Constitution, that's illegal," Flowers says.
Although the wastewater project has started, Citizens for a Better Flathead are still urging the community to help fight their cause.
“On one of the event weekends in Lakeside, [we] got 350 signatures in a day, we need to get thousands across the valley because this lake belongs to all of us.”
