Planner Accused Of Fouling Lake Critics Say Jim Anderson, Developer And County Official, Should Know Better
The man who helps ensure new development doesn’t pollute Bonner County’s lakes and streams is under fire for building a subdivision that’s sent mud into Priest Lake.
A complaint was lodged with water quality officials this week against Jim Anderson, chairman of Bonner County’s planning commission.
Anderson is building a road and 11-lot subdivision near Kalispell Bay. The project has sent mud into one of Idaho’s most pristine lakes.
Glen Rothrock, a water quality specialist for the Division of Environmental Quality, inspected the job this week. He said it appears Anderson has violated the county storm-water management ordinance.
“We have some concerns and it is under investigation,” Rothrock said. “It appears a considerable amount of sediment has gone into the lake.”
Anderson said he is embarrassed by the incident, but insists he has followed all the rules and regulations. He has an engineer coming to look at the site to make sure.
“It’s very embarrassing to me. I don’t want to be putting anything into the lake,” he said.
For the past three years, the state and county have worked on a plan to keep Priest Lake clean and stop some of the storm-water runoff problems.
Eric Anderson - no relation to Jim Anderson - worked on that plan and lives near the subdivision project. He was upset when he saw the mud going into the lake and took photos.
“What ticks me off is he (Jim Anderson) is in a position to tell other people what to do yet he doesn’t do it himself,” Eric Anderson said. “Storm-water control is something he has full knowledge of and should have known better.”
The problem, Anderson said, has been two weeks of heavy rain. Water backed up on property adjacent to his, then flowed across his land sending some sediment into the lake.
Anderson had blocked off the water flow from the adjacent property but a neighbor complained about water flooding his basement. To try to solve the problem, Anderson said he moved a dirt barrier to let the water flow. The muddied water went down a ditch into a county-owned culvert that empties into the lake.
“It didn’t come off my road, but I guess I indirectly caused it,” Anderson said. “I started the chain reaction but the problem is runoff from other property coming across mine.”
Rothrock made some erosion control recommendations to Anderson, including that he re-install some silt fences. Anderson had the fences up to stop mud from reaching the lake, about 300 feet away, but the recent rains overwhelmed them. The fences were lying flat when Rothrock checked the site.
County Planner Marty Taylor said he also received a complaint about Anderson’s project and will investigate it. Taylor noted Anderson had a completed storm-water management plan on file and has gone through the proper planning process.
, DataTimes