“Your total commitment to us was greatly appreciated. We feel we have a very professional job and we wanted to thank you for all of your great engineering.”

Tom McDonough, Chairman
Kalispell Bay Sewer District

Kalispell Bay Sewer System Improvements

Priest Lake, Idaho

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Welch, Comer & Associates, Inc. provided facility planning, design phase, construction phase, and regulatory assistance services for the Kalispell Bay Sewer System Improvement Project. Welch-Comer also facilitated the formation of a local improvement district to finance the project.
     
The project was completed in two phases over a two year period. The objective of the first phase was to reduce infiltration into the system by replacing leaking septic tanks. This phase of the project reduced the total flow into the system by 40 percent.

The second phase of the project included the construction of a 4.4 million gallon aerated lagoon facility at a new location, and abandonment of the existing lagoon system, which was leaking and presented a groundwater contamination risk. The second phase also included the reconstruction of four major sewage pump stations and the construction of 8,000 feet of PVC sewage force main.

A 16-acre land application system was also constructed adjacent to the new treatment facility. The land application system includes a Gorman-Rupp self priming pump, a chlorine disinfection system and a multi-zone spray irrigation system. The spray irrigation system consisted of fused high density polyethylene laterals and fixed irrigation heads which apply treated wastewater to the forested site

KEY ELEMENTS

  • Reconstruction of Four Sewage Pump Stations
  • 4.4 Million Gallon, Two Cell Aerated Lagoon
  • 16-Acre Land Application System
  • 8,000 Feet of Sewage Force Main
  • Replacement of 130 Septic tanks and Effluent Pumps

 

Installation of the liner in the 4.4 million gallon lagoon cells

Aerial view of the treatment site and surrounding land application area.