Heat, high volume lead to sewer smell

It's not an uncommon occurrence when the days get hot and Bigfork is packed with people, but the sour scent drifting over town from the Bigfork water treatment facility is still an unwelcome summertime guest.

A distinct sewage odor has been noticeable in Bigfork on multiple days over the last week or so, and Bigfork Water and Sewer Director Julie Spencer said there's not a whole lot that can be done about it.

"It's just the summer heat," she said. "The cooler weather should help."

Temperatures climbing into the 90s combined with above average volume at the treatment plant means sewage kept in the facility's holding tanks can get a little ripe.

"We have to get a balance of air in there," she said.

The plant is also hauling sewage to be injected into the ground once a week in an effort to keep the odor at bay. The sewage is used as fertilizer on the large tract of land the district owns north of Highway 83.

Spencer said by September, things should be back to normal at the plant and any lingering smell should be gone.

But, she cautioned, the unpleasant odor should be remembered in November when the water and sewer district asks voters to pass a bond that would upgrade the treatment facility and go a long way toward not only improving the water quality leaving the plant, but mitigate the summer sewage problem.

"People should just keep it in mind and hopefully in November they'll pass a bond issue and we won't have to deal with it in two years when the new plant is online," she said.