DEQ gives green light to RV Park

A new RV Park off River Bend Drive has cleared the last regulatory hurdle toward development. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality Monday announced it had given final approval for a sewer and water project for the new park, which will also include cabins.

The new park will have its own sewer and water system. The project is being built by Glacier Park Inc. which has rebranded itself as Pursuit.

The site’s two water wells provide more than enough water, the DEQ found. They were required to pump 35 gallons per minute. They pump 82 gpm with only a foot of draw down at maximum capacity.

On the sewage system, the DEQ approved two sewage lagoons with a capacity of 640,000 gallons each to serve the park. The lagoons will be aerated to reduce smell. The DEQ determined they would pose no threat to nearby groundwater or endanger public health. The lagoons would be at least a quarter-mile from any home or business and the spray structure would have a 200-foot buffer.

All told, the site will have 102 recreational vehicle spaces and 25 rental cabins on a 178-acre forested tract of land just west of the main village site. It will also have 63 acres of open space, 67 acres of residential area, and 47 acres for the campground. The actual developed land area is about 23 acres.

Neighbors strongly opposed the park, primarily based on concerns about additional traffic on River Bend Drive, which is already very busy during the summer tourist season.

The RV Park isn’t planned to be a year-round facility.