Wildfire Information Meeting – June 6, 2019 @ The Montana House

MCLUAC Meeting Jan. 30th

Please plan to attend the Middle Canyon Land Use Advisory Committee (MCLUAC) meeting on Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm in the West Glacier Fire Hall.

As always, the public is encouraged and welcome to attend. Representatives from WGCPA will be attending

Community members will have an opportunity to share items/issues of concern and there may also be opportunities for participation in adhoc committees (i.e.the CALURS plan has not been reviewed in many years as the MCLUAC has been inactive for at least five years).

Your appointed representatives to the MCLUAC are:

Gary Kauffman (2020 term)

Dennis Divoky (2019 term)

Trisha McCarthy (2018 term)

Again, please bring any questions or concerns for the committee to the meeting. Your input is welcome and encouraged!

MCLUAC link

Middle Canyon Land Use Advisory Committee
MCLUAC
January 30th, 2018
7:00 p.m.
West Glacier Fire Hall

AGENDA

I Call to Order

II Introductions: Mark Mussman, CFM

Planning Director

III Approval of Agenda

IV Election of Chair and Secretary

V Old Business

VI New Business

VII Discussion and Public Comments

VIII Next Scheduled Meeting

IX Adjournment

Carnegie Mellon students research traffic problems on the Going-to-the-Sun Road

Project Sunbound has resulted in a new management tool for Glacier National Park to model visitor traffic and parking congestion along Going-to-the-Sun Road in its search for solutions in handling skyrocketing visitation.

Leading Project Sunbound were seven Carnegie Mellon University master of business administration and master of information system management students participating in the A.T. Kearney Student Lab. Through the lab, students are paired with companies to address business problems.

Over the course of a semester, the project team analyzed park data and designed models to recreate visitor traffic, which is one of many issues faced by increased visitation.

(Click here to read more from the Daily Interlake)

Carnegie Mellon student researches traffic on the Going-to-the-Sun Road

Update on the Progress of the GPI RV Park water and sewage treatment plan – the application to the DEQ

 

GPI submitted their 2nd plan on December 20th to address the additional information and planning requested by the DEQ. The DEQ has until January 19th to review the new submission and to respond to this application. It can either be accepted or additional information can be requested.  (See our Resources Page to read these documents)

The new documents and maps are available for public review at the DEQ office in Kalispell (near Glacier High School and the new Forest Service building). The application contains several hundred pages and there are many large maps of the plans for the water system and sewage treatment system.

The WGCPA continues to be concerned about the plans and systems that need to be put in place to preserve the safety and health our West Glacier residents.

Some of the many concerns remain including:

• Adequacy of the plan to sufficiently contain storm-water runoff and to prevent potential contaminants from polluting groundwater.
• Damage to the wetlands area at the intersection of Riverbend and Sloane lane.
• The current Environmental Assessment done by DEQ is currently deficient (this is supposed to be updated in the near future).
• Odor issues are not addressed in the plans. If residents notice problems with odor, runoff, or well levels – who should be contacted?
• Will a 35 gallon/minute residential well be able to handle the water needs of the RV Park? Will continuous use during operational months affect neighboring residential water well levels? (a 150,000 gallon underground storage tank will be used).

The new plans do address several questions that were raised by the first application:

• During which months will the sewage system be operational? (The plan indicated operation from May until October).
• Will the water and sewage systems be shut down post season? (Yes)
• Who will monitor the water and sewage systems for compliance? (Because this type of facility (spray irrigation disposal) does not receive a discharge permit, the water quality sampling submission is not as formal)

The WGCPA, their attorney, and their hydrogeologist are in the process of evaluating the adequacy of the new submission.

Individuals can continue to send letters to express your concerns to the DEQ.

If you have a minute while you are in Kalispell – stop by and take a look at the application document and maps. Ask for Emily Gillespie – she is very helpful and willing to answer any questions you may have.

Mail letters to:

Emily J. Gillespie

Public Water Supply and Subdivisions Bureau

655 Timberwolf Parkway Suite 3

Kalispell, MT 59901

406-755-8979

Email:  egillespie@mt.gov

 

 

WGCPA concerns about RV park water/sewer plans

Property owners near the proposed GPI RV park have major concerns about the adequacy of the proposed water and wastewater (sewage treatment) plans submitted to the Montana DEQ for approval.

Some of these concerns are:

• Drift from wastewater effluent spray
• Proximity of spray irrigation site to residences
• Verification of depth to groundwater
• Groundwater flux magnitude and direction
• Soil chemistry and characteristics
• Soil-effluent interactions
• Odor from sewage treatment system

Additionally, it is critical that soil and effluent chemistry be understood and that a detailed irrigation plan be prepared and followed by the wastewater system operator. Systems will eventually fail if the lack of yearly monitoring and need for soil amendments are ignored.

 

Comments being taken on GPI’s sewer/water application to DEQ

If you’ve driven down Riverbend Drive lately, you have noticed quite a lot of clearing and slash pile burning going on. WGCPA has continued to monitor the development of this land parcel through these early stages of construction. Currently, GPI is awaiting approval from the DEQ for its water supply plan. Here is a brief update.

Attorney/Hydrologist Updates:

Recently,  the WGCPA board had a conference call with the attorney and hydrologist who were retained to do the monitoring of GPI’s DEQ applications for the water wells and sewage/wastewater treatment.

Here is a short summary of the updates:

• The DEQ application has been moved from the Helena office to the Kalispell office. Emily – at the Kalispell DEQ – will review the application next week.
• It is rare (only happened once) that the application would be approved without requesting any modifications.
• If DEQ requests modifications, then GPI can take as long as they like to respond. This can go back and forth for a while…
• Nov. 23rd is the day by which DEQ must respond (either approve or request modifications).

The WGCPA’s attorney and hydrologist sent letters to the DEQ expressing our organization’s concerns.  Individuals can also send letters of concern to the DEQ if desired.   Ms. Gillespie expects to be finished with her review and report by Friday, Nov. 17th.

Mail letters to:

Emily J. Gillespie
Public Water Supply and Subdivisions Bureau
655 Timberwolf Parkway Suite 3
Kalispell, MT 59901

Email: egillespie@mt.gov
406-755-8979

WGCPA’s monitoring efforts will continue to ensure that no shortcuts are taken and that deficiencies will be noticed and corrected.

Letters to the Editor (Daily Interlake and Flathead Beacon) would also be a good idea. The general public is most likely not aware of community concerns.

West Glacier and Apgar issued evacuation warnings; fires hold through wind shift

Click here for the latest fire information from InciWeb

Fires Hold through Wind Shift with Precipitation Expected Today

Incident: Sprague Fire Wildfire
Released: 18 min. ago
Related Information
Sprague Factsheet 9.14.17 (pdf 117 kb)
Sprague Fire (5 miles northeast of West Glacier): Yesterday, fire activity and growth was to the north and southwest. The wind increase and shift in the evening did occur but did not significantly affect fire growth. Today, crews and aerial resources will continue to monitor the fire and take action as needed. Decreased temperatures and higher relative humidities will help firefighting efforts. The fire is 15,995 acres.
Structure protection work continues in the Lake McDonald Lodge and North Lake McDonald area: Sprinklers and road spraying around the Lake McDonald Lodge complex increased the humidity and cooled the immediate area, creating a “rain forest” micro-climate. Pumps and hose lay systems have been installed in the Avalanche Creek Campground, Trail of the Cedars area and North McDonald Lake area. Crews will continue structure assessment and protection in Apgar Village. Fuels reduction work around the historic ranger station is completed. The Wheeler Cabin is wrapped and firefighters have made good progress extinguishing hotspots around the Sperry Chalet complex.
Elder Creek Fire (40 miles north of West Glacier on the US/Canada Border): The fire will be monitored from the Thoma lookout and resources from the Flathead National Forest. Yesterday, the fire activity remained minimal. The following trails are closed due to fire activity: Kishenehn Trail from the road to the Canadian border, Kishenehn Creek Trail from the Patrol Cabin to the border, and the Kintla Trail from Kishenehn Creek to Boulder Pass Trail (over Starvation Ridge). The fire is 282 acres in Glacier National Park (Total acreage is 2,547).
Adair Peak Fire (18 miles north/northwest of West Glacier): The Adair Fire saw minimal activity yesterday as it continued to burn in the mixed conifer stands along Logging Lake. Structure protection around the patrol cabins is in place and this fire will be monitored as needed. The Adair Fire is 3,374 acres.
Smoke and Weather Conditions: Today, temperatures will be significantly cooler with chances of light rain and snow at higher elevations. Smoke from other fires in Montana and British Columbia are contributing to the haziness in the area. You can monitor current smoke and visibility conditions at: http://go.nps.gov/glacwebcams.
An evacuation ORDER remains in place from the south end of Lake McDonald north to Logan Pass. This includes the North McDonald Road. The duration of the evacuation is unknown at this time. An evacuation WARNING is in place for the Apgar area within Glacier National Park, including Apgar Village and campground as well as portions of West Glacier, please see Inciweb for details on the locations affected.
MOST areas of the park remain OPEN: 18 miles of the Going-to-the-Sun Road between St. Mary and Logan Pass, Granite Park Chalet, Two Medicine, St. Mary, and Many Glacier are currently open. Please check the park website for closure information and current conditions at https://nps.gov/glac.
Fire Information Phone: 406-387-9092
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5510/ (Sprague fire updates, maps, photos, and park webcams)
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5590/ (Adair Peak fire updates, maps and photos)
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5601/ (Elder Creek fire updates, maps and photos)
Facebook: https://facebook.com/GlacierNPS
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlacierNPS
Montana Wildfire Smoke Updates: http://svc.mt.gov/deq/todaysair

Sprague Fire concerns West Glacier residents

Click here for updated Sprague Fire news from InciWeb

Click here for more information about the public meeting

West Glacier residents were informed about the latest developments in the Sprague Fire on September 6th by the Hutton fire management team and GNP Superintendent Jeff Mow.  The evening meeting was held at Park Headquarters.  The Sprague Fire is currently burning 5 miles from West Glacier in GNP.

Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry also explained how any future evacuations of the area would occur should it become necessary.

GNP Superintendent Jeff Mow

Traffic Woes of Summer…..

Recent photos of traffic back-ups (early Sept.)

We remain very concerned about current traffic back-ups as well as any additional traffic that would be added to this situation by new commercial development along Going-to-the-Sun Road and Riverbend Drive.  WGCPA will continue to pursue solutions to our traffic troubles.

Traffic troubles……

Let’s hope you don’t have to turn left…. (like we do)….. August 9th around 5:00 p.m.  at the intersection of River Bend Drive and Going to the Sun Road in West Glacier.  Add a few RVs to the picture….