River erosion puts Plains wastewater ponds at risk
An areial view shows the Clark Fork River and the wastewater treatment lagoons in Plains. (Photo supplied by the Plains-Paradise Rural Fire Department)
The bank of the Clark Fork River is being cut away by rising water as it sits behind the wastewater treatment lagoons in Plains.
The bank of the Clark Fork River is being cut away by rising water as it sits behind the waste water treatment lagoons (Erin Jusseaume/ Clark Fork Valley Press)
Plains Mayor Danny Rowan, Sanders County Commissioner Carol Brooker and Sanders County Emergency Manager Bill Naegeli meet with other officials to discuss the impending emergency along the banks of the Clark Fork River in Plains last week. (Erin Jusseaume/Clark Fork Valley Press)
A fence post that was standing Friday morning, was later washed away that afternoon by river bank being washed into the Clark Fork River behind the waste water treatment lagoons (Erin Jusseaume/ Clark Fork Valley Press)
The river bank continues to be cut away by the Clark Fork River over the weekend (photo supplied by Plains-Paradise Rural Fire Department)
A Declaration of Emergency was issued May 3 as the banks of the Clark Fork River behind the wastewater treatment lagoons in Plains began to cut away due to recent rain and snow melt.
Plains Mayor Danny Rowan said between April 27 and May 4, about 18 feet of riverbank was washed away, putting the sewage lagoons a great risk.
Rowan had said Friday that he had made a Declaration of Emergency for Plains, which was required for the U.S. Army Corps Engineers Northwestern Division to enable swift aid to prevent a catastrophic incident.
Due to procedures that have to be followed, Rowan said that making the declaration did not come lightly.
“The city doesn’t have the ability nor the money to do this kind of project on our own. The Army Corp of Engineers in this situation is really the only agency that can come in on short notice to be able to come in here and do the work that needs to be done,” Rowan said.
With the loss of the riverbank and more run-off expected, the water treatment lagoons are in jeopardy of leaching untreated water into the Clark Fork River.
Since 2012 there has been over 65 feet of bank lost to the river, with local government having staked the bank for measurement in 2014.
As recently as Friday, Bill Naegeli the Sanders County Emergency Manager along with Sanders County Commissioner Carol Brooker met with Rowan and other council members as well as representatives of the City Works Department and Rocky Mountain Surveyors to assess the current situation.
“In relation to the wastewater treatment plant here in Plains and the high snowpack that is still in the mountains; will increase the flow rate of the Clark Fork River and adding to the threat of the wasterwater treatment plant. This means we have had to do some mitigation on the bank of the Clark Fork,” said Naegeli.
“We’ve asked the Army Corp of Engineers to have a look at our situation and possibly give us some assistance,” added Naegeli.
Brooker said her roll is to support the mayor and the city with my staff.
“Bill Naegeli takes a bigger role in this situation than the county commissioners, but we will be here to support the mayor and the citizens as best we can through this process,” she added.
Rowan said when he was made aware of the situation, he knew that it had come to the point where immediate action had to be taken before a catastrophic event took place.
Rowan also expressed that he along with City Council members had been monitoring the banks that run along the lagoons and hoped that this kind of emergency wouldn’t have happened this year.
It is estimated that the bank has lost close to 200 feet at least within the last 20 years.
“We are currently working on grants to be able to fund a project that will enable us to put a sheet steel barrier around our lagoons now. If this erosion continues at this rate that option will be off the table as there won’t be enough land to put that in place,” said Rowan.