New Valley-wide group forms to share stormwater resources

An interest in stormwater issues drew representatives of local governments, non-profit groups and businesses from across the Valley to Bigfork on Wednesday, Jan. 13, for the creation of the Flathead Stormwater Resource Group.

The for-now informal group is aimed at sharing resources and ideas about the management of stormwater, or runoff from rains and snowmelt that collects pollutants and then enters area rivers and lakes if left untreated.

The formation of the group was spurred by conversations between Sue Hanson, chair of the Bigfork Stormwater Advisory Committee, and Karin Hilding, senior project engineer for the city of Whitefish.

Hilding said she saw a shared interest across the Valley in preserving and protecting water resources.

"We all have the same water resources," Hilding said. "We affect each other with what we're doing."

Hilding wanted to find out more about the work of the Bigfork Stormwater Project, which is on target to have its first phase constructed this year, and mentioned to Hanson that when she worked in Washington, a group of engineers got together periodically to share ideas over lunch. Hanson jumped on the idea.

Since BSAC will soon have to advise the county on what kind of treatment devise will need to go in for phase one of the project, Hanson said she was interested in the prospect of sharing resources and ideas to know what else has been tried and succeeded in the area.

Representatives from the city of Kalispell said they were also interested in starting to track systems that are in or are going in throughout the Valley to gather concrete information about what works and what doesn't. Those present were especially interested in sharing information on how different systems behave in colder climates, which is not as well known or tested for some systems.

Christi Buffington, education and outreach coordinator for the Flathead Lakers, said some groups in Lake County may be interested in teaming up to look at the issue basinwide. Polson and Dayton both have groups formed looking at or working on stormwater projects, she said.

With no current guidelines for stormwater management in the state, Hanson said it would also be useful to bring entities together to create guidelines that represent the area. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is working on statewide guidelines, but limited progress has been made, Hanson said. One of the Bigfork Stormwater Project's grants requires putting together guidelines.

"The guidelines should represent the area," Hanson said. "We have so many different soil types and terrain types in the Valley. It's one of the things that would be really nice to have come from this group."

That may be a ways down the road. For now, the 10 people present in the Glacier Bank basement agreed to start slow and focus on educating themselves and others about stormwater issues.

The consensus was that the group would meet monthly or quarterly for brown bag lunch seminars and that gradually a steering committee would be developed that could meet separately to develop goals, a mission statement and provide other direction.

At the meeting, Hanson also gave a brief presentation on Bigfork Stormwater Project and its progress. Those present shared education methods and different ways to reach out to homeowners.

"There's a lot of ignorance about what happens with erosion on the lakes and river," Hanson said.

The group will meet next at noon Wednesday, Feb. 10, for a presentation on pervious paving at the Kalispell Public Works Wastewater Treatment Plant. Thomas Weller, BSAC member and a project manager for Thomas, Dean & Hoskins, Inc., offered to arrange the presentation.