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Solid Waste director outlines biosolids demo plan, cites moisture limits and extreme-temperature risks
Summary
Solid Waste Director Dave Prunty told commissioners a biosolids demonstration project will begin to manage increased flows if Glacier Gold Compost closes in 2026; staff emphasized EPA guidance recommending a minimum 18% solids level for landfill disposal and described operational and leachate risks from wetter biosolids.
Dave Prunty, Solid Waste director, updated the Flathead County commissioners on Jan. 29 about recent operational disruptions and the department's plan to pilot a biosolids demonstration project aimed at managing increasing biosolids volumes.
Prunty recounted a Dec. 17 wind event that forced a temporary landfill closure and described nearly completed perimeter fencing that sustained some wind damage. He said the department has been working with cities and engineers to set parameters for a demonstration project if Glacier Gold Compost ceases operations and more biosolids are routed to the Flathead facility.
The central technical issue Prunty described is moisture content. "When I say liquids that does not mean that there's freestanding liquids... The water is suspended in the solids," he said, explaining the challenge of handling material that entered Flathead at about 14'15% solids. Prunty said EPA guidance indicates biosolids arriving at landfills are easier to operate with at about 18% solids and that Kalispell is installing a screw press expected to improve its output toward that threshold.
Prunty warned of operational consequences if incoming material remains wetter. He described leachate management needs and said the landfill recently built a pond to store up to 1.7 million gallons of leachate for summer evaporation. He also cited national examples of extreme-temperature events at large facilities (including Chiquita Canyon) that produced costly remediation and operational shutdowns, noting the industry is still studying drivers of those events.
The department said it follows an industry-standard calculation (about 20 gallons of liquid per ton of garbage) and that Flathead'level calculations indicate higher moisture months could exceed the landfill's holding capacity. Prunty said staff will run a demonstration project with municipal partners, targeting Oct. 1 to test handling and monitoring approaches, and will continue meeting with Kalispell, Columbia Falls and other partners to work toward the 18% guidance threshold.
What happens next: commissioners heard the briefing and supported continued intergovernmental planning. No regulatory changes or binding approvals were taken at the Jan. 29 meeting; staff said the demonstration project will continue to be developed with municipal partners.
