Missoula County considers $7.3M water project in Lolo
Martin Kidston
(Missoula Current) A lack of capacity and aging infrastructure prompted Missoula County this week to take the first step in creating a special improvement district in Lolo to address the community's water and wastewater needs.
If created, the Rural Special Improvement District (RSID) would generate more than $5.5 million to fund the infrastructure improvements, ranging from new pumps to modern pipes.
“The water system has been out of compliance with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for several years now, mostly with the max daily demand,” said Brent O'Connor, an engineering technician with Public Works. “It doesn't allow any more capacity to the system.”
Lolo has a total of three wells that pump water through the community. If the largest well were to fail, the two smaller wells must pump 1,855 gallons per minute to meet the max daily demand. But their current capacity falls short by 455 GPM.
The project will upgrade the two wells and increase the max daily demand to 2,406 GMP, surpassing what's required by DEQ.
“We'll have 551 gallons over what we need for that max daily demand, which will put us back in compliance with DEQ,” said O'Connor. “It will help with our capacity needs.”
But other issues in the system must also be addressed, including a new generator to guard against any power outages, such as the one that took place in 2024, and a new water main under Highway 93.
O'Connor said the current main is more than 50 years old and is made from material that's no longer used.
“We have significant concerns of that failing at some point in time,” said O'Connor. “That piece is pretty critical for us. We're increasing the GPM and need more room for that water to work.”
According to a county report, the Lolo system produced more than 290 million gallons of water in 2020. The improvements will bring the entire water system up to state standards and allow for 400 new connections. The work will also improve water pressure and help guard the community from potential failures.
Funding the work
Sam Scott with the Clerk and Treasurer's Office said the existing Lolo maintenance district was established in 1967 and includes roughly 1,390 properties. The proposed new district will simply mirror the old one and assess the properties within it for the cost of the work.
Scott said the principle over the life of the bond will cost each parcel $2,294 for water and $1,989 for wastewater. Any newcomers to the district will be charged an impact fee.
The total project will cost $7.3 million, but $1.75 million has already been secured in federal funding.
“That leaves $5.5 million in RSID bonds, including $3.2 million for water and $2.3 million for wastewater,” Scott said.
Missoula County's population continues to grow at an average rate of 1.1% annually. By 2040, it's estimated that 140,000 residents will reside within the Missoula metropolitan area and surrounding communities.
Lolo is expected to capture a portion of that growth – anticipated at 0.9% annually. At that rate, the community's population would reach around 5,700 residents by 2040, or an increase of around 1,300 people.
If the RSID is approved, construction would take place next year and the bonds would be issued in 2028. The bonds would be secured through the state's Revolving Loan program, which provides a lower interest rate.