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Town of Philipsburg Sewer Lagoons Wastewater Treatment System and Capacity Increase
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PHILIPSBURG TOWN COUNCIL AGENDA
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH 2024
9:00 AM PHILIPSBURG TOWN HALL
NEW BUSINESS:
RESORT TAX RESOLUTION
RESORT TAX BALLOT LANGUAGE
RESORT TAX CORRECTION CHAMBER JANUARY 2023
CORRECTED VERSION
Town of Philipsburg
The Town is no longer using bluejeans for online meetings.
The Town is using Zoom.us
Meeting ID: 6165576972
Easiest way to access is to download zoom app.
Letters from the Governor & Senator regarding our
2023 Veterans Day Celebration
PHILIPSBURG COMMUNITY RESORT DESIGNATION
PHILIPSBURG COMMUNITY RESORT DESIGNATION
LETTER
PHILIPSBURG COMMUNITY RESORT DESIGNATION
REPORT
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER
Town of Philipsburg
Public Water Supply MT0000304
Haloacetic Acids (HAA%) MCL
3rd Quarter 2023
NOTICE OF STANDARD MAXIMUM CONTAMINANT LEVEL (MCL) VIOLATION
The Town of Philipsburg has violated drinking water standards. Although this is not an emergency, as our customer you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct this situation occurring in our drinking water.
We are required to monitor your drinking water for specific contaminants on a regular basis. The Stage-2 Disinfection Byproducts Rule maximum contaminant level for Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) is 60 µg/L. Test results show that our system exceeds the maximum contaminant levels for HAA5. The level of HAA5 averaged at our system’s sampling location for the monitoring period between July 1 through September 30, 2023, was 70 µg/L.
What does this mean?
This is not an emergency. If it had been you would have been notified immediately. HAA5 are five haloacetic acid compounds which form when disinfectants react with natural organic matter in the water. People who drink water containing HAA5 in excess of the MCL over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
What should I do?
Customers should not boil their water and it is not necessary to use an alternate water source. However, if you have specific health concerns, please contact your health care professional.
STEPS THE TOWN IS TAKING TO ADDRESS RESCINDING OF FILTRATION WAIVER
Almost all municipal water systems engage in two levels of treatment. One is some form of filtration and the other is a method of disinfection. For decades the Town held a filtration waiver which allowed us to operate the system focusing on disinfection exclusively. The Town currently has two methods that are used for disinfection. One is gas chlorine, and the other is ultra-violet light.
The Town recently received a letter from the Department of Environmental Quality indicating that they are rescinding our filtration waiver. The reason is stated plainly in this mailing.
Disinfection ByProducts (DBPs) form when organics in water interact with disinfectants. We are currently in the process of running pilot studies to evaluate the effectiveness of filtration in removing organics before they come into contact with disinfectants. These studies will show us if filtration is effective in removing organics from the water and therefore help lower DBP concentrations.
1. Observing the trends over the last year, the Town decided to begin the process of trying to get ahead of this eventuality. In doing so the Town commissioned a pilot test to examine a new state of the art nano-filtration material to see if it might be applicable to our emerging situation. The testing began this past June and will run into late autumn. Some of the preliminary results look promising.
2. Seventy-five to eighty percent of Town water emanates from the Fred Burr Lake, sitting up in elevation seven miles above Town. The other twenty to twenty five percent of Town water originates from Silver Springs. These two sources are blended to deliver the finished product. Given that it is likely the disinfection by-products are being generated by the lake water, the Town will be purchasing new variable speed pumps located at Silver Springs in order to increase the percentage of spring water used in the blend and decrease the amount of lake water. It is our expectation that this could help address the problem.
3. In addition to these actions, the Town will also be engaged in contracting to produce a Preliminary Engineering Report to examine the main Fred Burr transmission line. Part of this examination would be to identify and replace sections of the line that are most compromised and could also possibly contribute to the problem.
The Town takes its responsibility to produce safe and clean drinking water as its highest priority and will act accordingly.
Town of Philipsburg
(406) 859-3821
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water especially those who may not have received this notice directly. You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
PWS ID: MT0000304 Date Distributed: August 31, 2023
Method Used to Distribute: US Postal Service and hard copy posting at public locations.
INVITATION TO BID
Separate sealed bids for the Broadway Alley Water Main Replacement project will be received by the Town of Philipsburg, at 104 S. Sansome Street, Philipsburg, MT 59858 until 2:00 PM local time on Thursday, September 28th, 2023. Late bids will not be accepted.
The project includes work in an alleyway south of Broadway Street from Duffy Street to S. Sansome Street. The base bid includes approximately 752 LF of 6” DR 18 C900 PVC water main and associated valves, fittings, and appurtenances, installation of a new fire hydrant, reconnection of all existing services, and gravel, asphalt, and sidewalk surface restoration. The project is scheduled for completion by December 15, 2023.
The project manual for use in preparing bids may be obtained by contacting the engineer, Brad Koon, at:
(406) 461-0692
A $50 non-refundable deposit is required to obtain a project manual from the engineer. Bidders must purchase bid documents from the Engineer and must be shown on the plan holder’s list to be considered a responsive bidder. Questions relative to this project should be directed to Brad Koon, P.E. at (406) 461-0692.
There will be a Pre-Bid Conference at the Philipsburg Town Hall, 104 S. Sansome Street, Philipsburg, MT 59858 at 2:00 PM local time on Thursday, September 21st, 2023 to discuss the project. Interested contractors are encouraged to attend.
August 18, 2023
Water Bills, Meters, and Leaks Oh My
Philipsburg implemented a new water bill rate structure starting with the June bills, causing confusion for some ratepayers and a painful increase for certain users. The new rate structure was discussed and passed by the Town Council this past winter, with implementation starting now at the beginning of the new fiscal year.
The Town Council analyzed all the water users to determine the average water use for Philipsburg ratepayers. The starting point was based on 375 ratepayers with working water meters. This showed an average use of water of 3,000 and 4,000 gallons per month.
The structure for the new water rate starts with a $52.00 a month base rate. The Council decided, after hearing from the public in town hearings, that the base rate structure would include 5,000 gallons per month. Below is a table of the new rate structure:
The Town uses water meters to measure the flow, with a register on top of the water meter to read the measured amount. There are some residences in town that need their register repaired/replaced, and the Town is currently fixing those by appointment.
There are a few spots in town which have used unexpected amounts of water, resulting in very high unexpected bills. In the cases of very large amounts of water use, the measured amount of water has passed through the meter. The passing of water is the only thing that will activate the meter. There could be a leak in the service line, after the meter and before the house. Sometimes these leaks could pop up in a yard, and sometimes elsewhere. Another source of higher than expected water usage could be that a hose was left on, or there is an appliance that is using excessive amounts of water, or there is a leak that needs repair in the house.
As a reminder, the service line from the water main is the property owner’s responsibility.
For more information please contact the Philipsburg Town Hall 406-859-3821
