Legal challenges fail to stop Montana’s Lakeside sewer expansion project
HELENA, Mont. (UI) — The Lakeside County Water and Sewer District’s wastewater expansion project is moving forward after two legal challenges seeking to block construction failed in state courts.
According to recent filings with the Montana Supreme Court and Flathead County District Court, a petition to intervene in one case was rejected, and a preliminary injunction was denied in another — allowing the district to continue its first phase of construction on a new wastewater treatment facility and septage receiving plant.
The local sewer district’s two-phase project is designed to expand capacity and improve treatment for Flathead County communities. The first phase includes construction of a new facility to handle both wastewater and septic waste, a move that supporters say is essential to protect water quality in Flathead Lake and accommodate population growth in the area.
Court records show that the Montana Supreme Court denied a request for intervention on Nov. 12, while the lower court declined to halt the project pending further litigation.
The district has emphasized that the project was developed with state environmental review and permitting through the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, which issued a final environmental assessment earlier this year. The DEQ’s findings supported the expansion as consistent with state water-quality standards.
Once completed, the new treatment facility will replace outdated infrastructure and provide additional capacity for regional growth while supporting compliance with state and federal wastewater standards.
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