FVCC Student calls on community to help local Veterans
Dear Lincoln County Community,
My name is Savannah Phillipson and I am a student at Flathead Valley Community College here at the Lincoln County Campus.
I am taking an American History class this semester with Dr. Lynn Barnes. We have been assigned a project focused on oral history and more specifically our local veterans.
I have had the opportunity to speak with a few gentlemen who both served in Vietnam and now give back to our community by helping other Veterans at the Veterans of Foreign Wars facility and the American Legion Association.
After speaking with these amazing men I want to provide their facilities with as much support as they have given our community.
On April 22 and 23 from 9 a.m. to 4p.m. and April 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at FVCC Lincoln County campus, 225 Commerce Way in Libby, we will be holding a Bake Sale and Raffle with items from various local businesses.
It is my hope to gather as much support as possible from local vendors to help in donating baked goods or items that can be raffled.
All proceeds from donations will be split in half and donated to each Veteran program I have had the honor to work with here in Libby.
This is a great way to not only promote your business but also goodwill within our community. Each donated item will be represented with your company’s name and or logo, as well as in our promotional flyer that will be displayed throughout the community.
If this interests you in any way please give me a call at (406) 861-4616. I can not thank you enough for taking the time to read this and for your consideration of any donations your business might wish to provide.
– Savannah Phillipson
Libby Dam Inflow/Outflow
Current Koocanusa Reservoir elevation:
2401.02 feet
Current Koocanusa Reservoir inflow:
~4 kcfs
Current Libby Dam outflow:
4.0 kcfs
Current Kootenai River elevation at Bonners Ferry: 1745.45 feet
Libby Dam operations during April will be to
gradually raise Lake Koocanusa to an end of month lake elevation of 2409.9 feet, as determined by the April Water Supply Forecast released on April 5, 2021. Libby Dam outflows will remain at 4 kcfs through the end of April.
Projected inflows and reservoir
operations at Libby Dam through the fall can be
found here: www.nwd-wc.usace.army.mil/nws/hh/www/kot_esp.html
Inside the Libby Wastewater Treatment Plant…
Continued from Page 1
… and oxygenated sludge from the previous processes. It is the most visually noticeable part of the wastewater facility and arguably the most important.
From there, the biologically cleaner water then flows over to the Clarifier Pods, white dome structures visible to passers-by on second street extension in Libby. Inside these geodesic domes, a few things happen to the water.
First, the bacteria settle in to an active sludge which is pumped back into the Oxidation ditch. Second, a skimmer arm slowly moves across the surface of the calm and still pools while collecting and pushing floating grease and oils off the surface. Third, the skimmed water trickles slowly over a notched outer ring which effectively captures most of the remaining surface contaminants. The material removed from the water here is sent to another part of the facility where it is dried and later hauled out to the county dump.
The final step in this amazing process at the Libby Wastewater Facility is disinfection by ultraviolet light. Installed in 2011 at a cost of half a million dollars, this part of the facility floods the now thoroughly cleaned water with
ultraviolet light, effectively killing any remaining bacteria.
Swensen then shared that in a final measure to double-check the cleanliness of the water processed before releasing it to the river, they test the water by adding live minnows to it. “We’ve never had any minnows die during this part of the process,” Swenson added with a grin.
While in the plant, water is tested in the laboratory for several things – E-coli, PH levels, and various contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals to name a few. Then finally, the water flows through the discharge pipes and about 100 yards away to the Kootenai river where it becomes part of the massive movement of water over hundreds of miles into the magnificent Columbia River and on to the Pacific Ocean.
Next time you flush your toilet, take a shower or wash something down your kitchen sink, remember that very water will soon be on its on its way to the Pacific Ocean, after being cleaned and disinfected right here at the Libby wastewater treatment plant.
The Libby Wastewater Treatment Plant was the winner of the MWEA Small System Award in 2010. At that time, the DEQ stated, “The performance of the treatment plant has consistently met the high standards established in the MPDES discharge permit for discharge to the Kootenai River. Meeting these standards is critical to the
protection of the environment and
public health.”
Since then, LWTP has undergone over one million dollars in improvements to continue striving to meet or exceed those standards recognized by the MWEA. Something to be proud of and perhaps even make you smile.
More information about the Libby Wastewater Plant may be acquired by visiting their website at:
cityoflibby.com/departments-services/wastewater-treatment.
by Moira Blazi
The skimmer arm inside one of the geodesic domes at the Libby Wastewater plant moves across the surface of wastewater pools, collecting and pushing
floating grease and oils from the surface. (Photo by Moira Blazi)
*Does this image look familiar? That may be because it was placed incorrectly by our editor with a previous article. Our apologies for any confusion which had been inadvertently caused.
Timothy Pomeroy has been working at the Libby Wasterwater Management Facility through the Senior Community Service Employment Program.