This letter adds to the article on efforts by Ravalli County to update the county’s Subsurface Wastewater Treatment and Disposal Regulations that appeared in the 3 March edition of the Bitterroot Star by commenting on the Board of Health meeting held on 3 March. There were more than a few people participating in this latest Zoom meeting.
After listening to concerns expressed during the Board of Health (BOH) meeting yesterday, it seems that genuine improvement in the handling of public health issues related to wastewater management and treatment across the diverse state that is MT would benefit from an “enterprise-wide” assessment that addresses how to effectively integrate and coordinate all levels of government agency, board and legislative responsibility and authority. The waste water management enterprise in MT is complex with many disparate parts that are frequently involved but not necessarily coordinated in their approach to addressing issues confronting citizens in trying to satisfy requirements for their individual circumstances.
For instance, a distinction is properly drawn between MT level wastewater technical requirements issued by DEQ and the procedural requirements set by Ravalli County. However gaps between the organizational stove pipes seem to leave constituents in endless do loops that cannot be resolved in reasonable time spans and cause financial, procedural and process hardships for the affected citizen(s).
When I heard the discussion about an apparently interminable problem concerning waste water treatment for a rancher trying to satisfy financial, business, regulatory and waste water management requirements, I was aghast at the scope of one aspect of the overall problem associated with trailers on wheels versus trailers on foundations. Why that became such a big hurdle seems to me unreasonable, if not just plain silly. The process seems broken, or at least hide-bound and that should be fixed. I suggest that having the right mix of people from government, industry/business and the public take an enterprise-based look at situations such as this might lead to effective improvements that will support future growth and prosperity as the MT grows and prospers.
That said, I thank the BOH, Ravalli County Environmental Health, and the citizens who participated in a thought provoking exchange of concerns and ideas. I think it was a useful exchange that enlightened everyone.
MLS
Marc L. Sabin
Corvallis