Don’t dump effluent in river, board is told

SANDPOINT – Every alternative should be pursued before dumping treated sewage into the Pend Oreille River, the state-appointed commission for Priest and Pend Oreille waterways told the Southside Water and Sewer District board Monday.

“The (Pend Oreille) river, it’s already at a critical point,” said Brent Baker, a commission member and a local building contractor. “It’s already suffering from nutrient loading. It seems like we should move water quality in the other direction.”

The sewer district has a permit application pending with the Environmental Protection Agency to discharge treated effluent to the Pend Oreille River in the winter. The district, which serves about 300 households now, wants to expand its sewage treatment facility to serve up to another 300.

In fact, “we have 250 who have paid (sewage hookup fees) and cannot get service,” said district board chairman Gary Wescott.

The board imposed a moratorium on new home construction in the district – which covers portions of Sagle south of Sandpoint – in April once the district’s land application treatment system reached capacity. The sewer district does not discharge to the river now, but stores its effluent in the winter until it can be applied to hay crops again in the spring.

“How did 200 hookups come to be sold if there was not the capacity to serve them?” Baker asked during a crowded public hearing hosted by the commission.

“Good question,” Wescott replied. He explained that initial estimates of what the hay fields could absorb without leaching into the ground, and potentially the groundwater, proved inaccurate.

The lakes commission unanimously passed a motion Monday to recommend that the EPA hold a public hearing on the matter. The commission is an advisory board appointed by the governor with a mission to look after Priest and Pend Oreille rivers and lakes.

Its recommendation was applauded by members of Clean Rivers and Concerned Citizens of the Southside Water & Sewer District, two closely related groups fighting the discharge permit. They have gathered more than 500 signatures calling on the EPA to hold a public hearing, said Rosemary Shoong, a Sagle landowner opposed to the discharge plan.

Opponents are concerned about the ill effects the wastewater could have on the river and its users, and the cumulative effects of all the dischargers on water quality. The proposed outfall for the treated wastewater is a half mile upstream from Springy Point, a popular camping and swimming park, but district representatives pointed out that the discharge would only occur in the winter.

Permit critics also raised concerns that in a few years, state and federal clean water requirements will become more stringent, requiring more costly sewage treatment upgrades to meet the new standards.

John Tindall of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality said tougher standards are a real possibility.

“It’s a risk,” he said. “I’ve talked about that all along.”

The Southside Water and Sewer board has considered several alternatives for expansion, including annexation to the city of Sandpoint and purchasing more property for land application. Many district residents oppose annexation to the city, but the search for adequate and affordable land is proving difficult, Wescott said.

“If you look in our county, it’s not available,” he said. “If it is, people don’t want to use it for that.”

The EPA’s deadline for public comment on the proposal is Dec. 27.