Commission pushes for septic waste study bill

Representatives of the Flathead Basin Commission recently presented a proposal to the state Water Policy Interim Committee last month to seek a study bill regarding septic contamination of lakes.

Ed Lieser, vice chair Flathead Basin Commission, presented the issue in Helena to the committee, which is a joint bipartisan committee of the state Legislature and has oversight of agencies involved in water quality.

“The Flathead Basic Commission believes this is an urgent threat and it threatens the headwaters of the Crown of the Continent,” he said.

Lieser said efforts to engage homeowners near lakes to deal with failing septic systems have largely been unsuccessful and the study would investigate methods for dealing with the issue from regulatory authority to what could be done to assist homeowners in moving toward connecting to more effective septic treatment systems.

“The continued growth in unincorporated areas of the Flathead pose an ever-increasing potential for septic waste to influence the current high quality of these lakes,” Lieser said. “Delay in addressing this issue will further stress the water quality and ecology of these lakes with potential impact to our local and state economies.”

The Flathead Basin Commission in June voted unanimously to bring legislation to the state Water Policy Interim Committee dealing with the issue of septic leachate.

The Septic Leachate Study Bill calls for an investigation of methods to address septic waste systems impact to Flathead Basin lakes, specifically Whitefish, Flathead and Echo lakes. The bill asks for a study to be conducted by the Legislative Services Division and reported to the Water Policy Interim Committee.

WPIC is expected to vote on the issue of the study bill at its September meeting and then, if approved, a member of the committee would likely carry the bill in the 2019 Legislature, Lieser said last week.

“It’s a study bill so the only action that would come of it is to commit some money to the study of septic systems,” Lieser told the Pilot. “The Flathead Basin Commission is prepared to assist them. It could involve looking at what other states have done and what has worked. It would look at what can be done in Montana with state and federal regulatory authority, and what things can be done to assist homeowners.”

Mike Koopal, executive director of the Whitefish Lake Institute and member of the Flathead Basin Commission, also spoke in favor of the study bill during the meeting in Helena.

Koopal said the institute has been working on the issue of septic leachate on Whitefish Lake for 10 years. He noted that while much has been done statewide to address point source pollution, which are easy to identify, little has been done to address non-point pollution, which is all pollution not regulated that comes from diffuse sources such as septic tanks.

“This unresolved non-point source is an issue for not just the Flathead, but all Montana,” he said. “Septics fail over time — 25 years in good soil. People are relatively unaware of issues.”

Lakes will suffer algae blooms due to increases in phosophorus and nitrogen unless the number of aging septic systems is reduced, he noted.

Koopal said education programs aren’t enough and there needs to be more done to find solutions.

“This is a complex issue where we need state support to help us navigate this,” he said. “We need meaningful policy for a mitigation strategy.”

A representative of the Montana League of Cities and Towns also voiced support of the study bill.

Septic leachate is the liquid waste that remains after the wastewater drains through septic solids. Functioning septic systems are designed to collect waste and neutralize contamination before it enters ground or surface water systems. However, if a septic system fails elevated concentrations of bacteria from human waste, detergents and other household materials can be transported by groundwater through sediments eventually ending up in lakes.

WPIC is led by state Sen. Pat Connell (R-Hamilton), presiding officer, and Rep. Zach Brown (D-Bozeman), vice presiding officer. Other members are Sens. Jill Cohenour (D-East Helena), Jon Sesso (D-Butte), and Jeffrey Welborn (R-Dillon); and Reps. Bob Brown (R-Thompson Falls), John Fleming (D-St. Ignatius), and Carl Glimm (R-Kila).