Chinook looks to protect treatment plant from river erosion

The wastewater treatment plant in Chinook is in search of funding for preventive measures to stop water from the Milk River from reaching the plant.

“Right at the moment, it’s just creeping closer to our plant. That’s all, really. So we’re looking for some funding at the moment to maybe stabilize the bank, so it doesn’t slough off any closer,” Wastewater Treatment Plant Manager Eric Miller said.

Greg Jergeson, a member of the state St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group looking to rehabilitate the system that diverts water from the St. Mary River to the Milk River, said he first learned of the situation during a discussion with Chinook Mayor Keith Hanson after a visit to the Legislature to discuss funding for rebuilding the St. Mary diversion dam. 

He said people in Helena were saying Chinook could use the ARPA funds as a match for funds for work on the diversion.

“The people in Helena were saying, ‘They got all that money, they can put that up as match and then you can fully fund your project.’ Well, the problem that I was trying to explain was, when Chinook looks at what things need to be done with that amount of money they’re getting, that’s about equivalent to what the engineers told the mayor that the cost would be to keep the banks from collapsing and thereby endangering the sewer plant,” Jergeson added.

Jergeson said, as he understood it, the total amount of money Chinook would be receiving from the ARPA water/wastewater funds would be about $300,000. 

Miller said the figure to stabilize the river bank would be in the area of $300,000.

“I think that’s the number our engineer came up with, actually.” Miller said. “It could cost that much for putting rock and getting the permits. You’d have to get cranes and dozers involved to get back behind to the river. So, yeah, it could probably be that expensive to stabilize the bank.”

Jergeson said those needs have to be looked at when Chinook considers what to do with ARPA funds.

“The mayor has to figure out what does he have to deal with first. The city can’t afford to lose that investment we’ve got in that sewer plant out there. So he won’t have anything to match the other way, the way that the great minds in the Legislature said he should. So they were setting up a situation in Helena at the Legislature that is going to be difficult, if not absolutely impossible, to meet, to come up with resources to redo the diversion dam at St. Mary,” Jergeson said.

When asked if the situation was a crisis, Miller said it was “kind of in the middle right now.” 

Miller said the collapsing of the banks has been becoming an annual problem over the last four to five years.

Chinook Mayor Keith Hanson agreed.

“That’s just typical of the Milk River. I mean, it’s been occurring since the Milk River’s ever been around. The river switches and changes course,” Hanson said.

“The banks are all sand and they move constantly. I mean, that river changes course constantly,” Hanson added.

Hanson said any work to be done is going to be preventative to stop damage that could occur.

Miller said the focus right now is on funding and permits.

“Right now, preventative work, there is no real preventative anything. It’s just like trying to get ahead of it before it does start eating power poles and chain link fence and maybe a building and that kind of thing,” Miller said.

Jergeson said the diversion dam is a critical piece of infrastructure that needs to be rebuilt, in order for Chinook to have domestic water. However, he felt addressing the collapsing river banks should be at the top of the mayor’s to-do list. 

“That has to come first. If it’s not crisis, it’s more immediate than the other problem. Clearly, the St. Mary thing is also,” Jergeson  said. “… But we’ve got millions tied up in the sewer plant in Chinook and you can’t operate a city without an effective sewer plant. If the stream bank is going out, if, if the river bank is going, that’s got to be your first priority.”