Local wastewater treatment plants get 2023 report card

Three of the six local wastewater treatment facilities violated their permits last year. 

An Aug. 15 report published by nonprofit Idaho Conservation League found that 58% of Idaho sewage facilities failed to comply with federal Clean Water Act regulations in 2023. 

Among the violators were the Priest River, Kootenai-Ponderay, and Sandpoint facilities. 

Records from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Enforcement and Compliance History Online database show the Priest River, Kootenai-Ponderay, and Sandpoint plants exceeded a pollutant limit on two, three, and five occasions, respectively. 

The other three local facilities — the Dover, Bonners Ferry, and Moyie Springs sewage plants — logged no permit violations in 2023. 

A wastewater plant’s compliance with regulations is evaluated by testing a sample of treated water leaving the facility. 

Last year’s infractions at the local plants included excess E. coli and suspended solids, as well as a failure to reduce biological oxygen demand — a proxy metric for the level of organic matter.

Because sewage plants release treated water into the environment, these pollutants can be detrimental to ecosystems. 

Suspended solids, which are small particles that reduce water clarity, can create low-oxygen dead zones. Excess organic matter disturbs aquatic ecosystems and can contribute to algae blooms. Both have the potential to hurt the abundance and diversity of fish and other aquatic organisms. 

Improperly treated wastewater also has the potential to harm people: E. coli is a bacterium that can sometimes cause serious disease in humans. 

Sandpoint’s five infractions tied for 20th-worst among the 112 municipal plants in Idaho last year. The total was an uptick from one and three violations in 2021 and 2022, respectively, and demonstrates the deficiencies of the crumbling 64-year-old facility. 

Upgrading the plant is a focus of several elected officials in Sandpoint. Recent council meetings have featured discussion of the facility’s shortcomings, and Mayor Jeremy Grimm has referred to the project as his top priority. 

On Aug. 7, the council voted to hire a civil engineering firm to complete a preliminary engineering report for the plant, which will inform the city of the size and scope of construction. 

Still, an upgraded plant is likely several years away and may come with some sticker shock. Grimm has estimated the price of upgrades will exceed $50 million — and may ultimately total close to $100 million. 

While investing in sewage treatment infrastructure limits exposure to fines and penalties, it is also a key component of natural resources stewardship. 

Over time, improperly treated outflow can create environmental ripple effects that negatively impact health, recreation and industry within a community and beyond. 

In a questionnaire released by the city in early 2020, 95% of respondents rated the importance of water quality to the community as 5/5 — a higher proportion than that received by air quality, wildlife, scenery, or vegetation in the survey. 

That result demonstrates that maintaining clean water, even among other conservation efforts, is held in especially high regard by the sampled Sandpoint residents. 

According to the Enforcement and Compliance History Online database, Sandpoint’s wastewater treatment facility has violated its permit on four occasions since the beginning of 2024. 

The current trajectory suggests that regardless of the effort put in by city staff, Sandpoint’s wastewater problem is unlikely to be resolved before the aging facility receives major upgrades in the coming years. 

Until then, it is possible that Sandpoint’s sewage problem will get worse before it gets better. 

Idaho Conservation League’s report is available on its website at bit.ly/3XdjAfZ. Detailed information for individual facilities can be found on the EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance History Online database at echo.epa.gov.