Stormwater project gets started

By ALEX STRICKLAND

Bigfork Eagle

The first steps toward fixing Bigfork's runoff problems were taken last week when a group began establishing what the Village already has in the way of drainage systems.

A preliminary engineering study was begun last Tuesday, Nov. 20 to establish the current locations and limits of Bigfork's storm water system downtown. The study, funded by a grant through Flathead County, is the first step in tackling Bigfork's water runoff issues, according to Sue Hanson, the chair of a local oversight committee.

"We're trying to identify what we have," she said. "There are no records, we don't even know who installed it."

Hanson said some of the storm water system downtown might have been installed by Pacific Power sometime in the 1940s or '50s, but it's really anybody's guess.

Hanson will chair a committee of Bigfork residents to consult and oversee the project and the county is presently negotiating a contract with a grant administrator for the committee.

The committee will also be assisted by Larry Van Rinsum of the Flathead Conservation District.

The preliminary study is the first phase of what Hanson said she suspected would be a multi-year project to correct the discharge of untreated water from entering the Swan River, Flathead River and Flathead Lake.

The engineering study will focus only on the downtown area and the areas in close proximity to either river or the lake. Hanson said that at this time there isn't enough money to extend the project down Highway 35 or into other more outlying areas around Bigfork.

"The problem is that over the years things have changed and it's changed the direction that water goes," she said. "We have a lot more rooftops and a lot more paving than we had in 1950."

Hanson said the study is necessary to obtain further grant funds, as the information the study compiles will be needed in future applications.

The preliminary engineering grant is funded by Montana DEQ, DNRC, Flathead Basin Commission and private donations. County Commissioner Joe Brenneman spearheaded the grant process.

The State of Montana has never had a successful citizens Watershed Committee, Hanson said, and people are needed to help with the project.

"This is not a finger pointing thing," she said. "We have problems we need to address while they still can be addressed."

Anyone interested in joining the committee should contact Hanson at 837-5323 or btrfly@montanasky.net.