Wastewater Disposal Public Comment from Alex Creighton, Pop A Squat PortablesAimee Brunckhorst
From: Alex Creighton <popasquatportables@outlook.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 3, 2022 8:49 PM
To: Katharine King; Chad Graham; Mark Johnson; Del Phipps; Robert Habets; Aaron
Losing; Doug Russell; Kalispell Meetings Public Comment; Jana Purdy
Subject: EXTERNAL Wastewater Disposal
Attachments: City Of Kalispell Wastewater Disposal.pdf
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Good evening,
Attached is a letter addressed to city officials outlining the issues facing Kalispell. A letter has also been sent out to over
1,100 customers, informing them of the current situation. I am sure you have been contacted by a handful of them
already. We are hoping our elected and city officials will assist if finding a solution to this problem, as it will affect
everyone.
Thank you.
Alex Creighton
Pop A Squat Portables LLC
406-890-4602
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City of Kalispell
My name is Alex Creighton, in 2017 my wife, Alecia, and I noticed an increased need for portable sanitation. We purchased 60
portable toilets and a vacuum tank, and started our business, Pop -A -Squat Portables LLC. Since, our business has grown to more
than 1000 portable toilets and hand washing stations, proudly serving municipalities, hospitals, fundraisers, events,
construction, and road projects. In the short time we have been in business we have attracted and acquired large and well-
known companies in the Flathead, customers like Swank, LHC, Knife River, Rebecca Farms, school district 5 etc. We also hold
emergency contracts with the DNRC and US Forest Service for wildland fires. We are family owned and operated business.
As some may know, all waste generated by portable toilets in the valley is treated and processed at the City of Columbia Falls
WWTP (Wastewater Treatment Plant). Every portable toilet that we service in the Flathead, including your city, and
surrounding areas is disposed of in Columbia Falls, as do our competitors.
We were recently informed that increased growth in their area has put the treatment facility over capacity. Unfortunately,
because of this, we are required by the city to limit the amount of waste we dispose. This means that we must limit the amount
of portable toilet rentals we have available. Our competitors as well as ourselves will begin declining business to our customers
for work sites, specials events, festivals, as well as a number of other community events and fundraiser.
Effective immediately, we must reduce our waste volume by 25%. Thus, begins the painful process of which portable toilet
rentals will remain and which must be removed. In 2023, we must reduce our waste volume by an additional 50% all the way up
to 75%. This will virtually cease operations. This will not only affect our business but will also greatly affect our highly valued
customers working in cities like yours. By the end of next year, obtaining a portable toilet rental will be extremely difficult, if not
close to impossible.
Companies that pump residential sewers are also having difficulty disposing of waste. These companies typically dispose of
their waste in large fields away from residential property. Due to the increase in subdivision building and land sales in the
Flathead Valley, there are becoming fewer waste fields to dump in. Obtaining land, or even land that can be permitted for this
type of use/disposal, is next to impossible.
We have asked multiple cities/WWTP's including Bigfork, Lakeside and even as far as Missoula, cities in Idaho and even
Spokane; but unfortunately, have been turned down. Missoula city officials stated, "It's embarrassing your own city cannot deal
with their waste, their facilities are no different than ours." Idaho and Spokane will not accept waste from across state lines.
Bigfork and lakeside have also stated they have capacity issues.
Fortunately, Flathead County has acquired ARPA funds to build a bio-solids facility. This will be a permanent solution for the
waste collected from residential sewer systems as well as portable toilets and sludge produced from city WWTP's. Since there
will be a multi -year delay in the completion of the new facility, the only temporary solution is getting the City of Kalispell and
City of Whitefish to lend a hand in processing the waste that is generated building their cities and infrastructure. These two
cities currently have the most state of the art facilities with capacities that can handle millions of gallons per day. We are only
asking to dispose of a few thousand gallons per week.
Portable sanitation is an important part of our community. It is commodity that is necessary, but not a commodity people
think about until it is needed. There is a portable toilet located on every job site, every outdoor wedding venue, our county fair,
community events/fundraisers, school sporting complex's and marathons. They are necessary when our forests begin to burn,
when our schools and hospitals encounter facility issues. OSHA requires contractors to provide portable toilets forjob site
workers under Standard 1926.51. While portable toilets fall far down the list of job site hazards, first offense violations can be
as much as $12,000. Portable sanitation is a necessary service that is needed, and sometimes required in many areas of our
community.
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We are asking our city officials to carefully think about the decisions they are about to make. We are asking for a temporary
solution, a solution that will continue to allow your community events, school sporting events, current and future housing, and
infrastructure projects to continue with sanitary portable restrooms. Your parks and kid's camps are currently utilizing our
services, even your own WWTP called for a portable toilet. All services we provide for the cities, schools and fundraisers are
also provided at a discounted rate. This is all about to change as we will no longer be able to provide any of this.
We are asking for the city of Kalispell and Whitefish to accept and treat the waste generated from your cities and surrounding
areas. If each city steps up and take care of their own waste, each will only be taking roughly 1000 —1500 gallons per week in
the summer months. This number is greatly reduced in the winter months, almost cut in half. This small amount would also be
spread throughout the week. Only seeing 300-400 gallons per dump.
Drawing a line in the sand and saying "absolutely not" is going to have devastating consequences in your communities. School
District 5 was notified yesterday, they are up in arms, they have no other options. School and sports are beginning in the
coming weeks. The Great Bear Festival is now looking to cancel their event on Saturday due to lack of portable sanitation.
Kalispell Parks and Rec. informed me they will have to issue refunds to families, as they will also not be able to continue their
kid's camp for the remaining weeks ahead.
We are hoping Whitefish and Kalispell, the two largest contributors of waste, will come to the table and help us work through
this temporary issue, as all other efforts have been exhausted. We understand your facility is a biological wastewater plant, as
is Columbia falls. Please know there are bio-solutions we can use, rather than the standard portable toilet chemicals. I know
this has been mentioned to numerous people as to why you are not willing to accept any of this waste.
Pop A Squat Portables, as well as our already affected customers eagerly await your response to this matter.
Thankyou
Alex Creighton
Pop A Squat Portables LLC
406-890-4602