Helping a Growing Community

The City of Whitefish operates a water treatment plant (WTP) that treats surface water from tributaries to nearby Haskill Creek and Whitefish Lake. Water from Haskill Creek collects from three intake points that flow into one open reservoir northwest of the WTP, which gravity feeds into the plant. The Whitefish Lake intake consists of two submerged 30” diameter intake screens. Water is pumped from Whitefish Lake to the WTP through a 5,200-foot, 18-inch raw water transmission main with an elevation gain of 230 feet.

Like many communities in Montana, Whitefish has experienced significant growth. As the population has grown, so has the demand for housing and supporting infrastructure. The city’s finished water production from the WTP could not meet the needs of its growing service area. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) notified the city that water main extensions, subdivisions, and Municipal Facility Exclusions (MFE) would not be reviewed until they expanded the WTP’s capacity.