Save Holland Lake

04/04/2026

A Little History Lesson About the Wastewater System at Holland Lake Lodge! Thank you Mark Carpenter!

•WGM performed an evaluation to upgrade the lagoon treatment system in 1999. The report identified that the existing system was functioning marginally at the time and that the lagoon liner had holes that may be allowing untreated effluent to percolate into the ground.

•On September 25, 2023, DEQ received new information about this complaint. This information showed that that the liner in Cell 1 had suffered extensive damage, including a tear that extended below the level of the wastewater, and that the USFS had made repairs to the liner during the summer of 2022. DEQ was not notified of the damage, release, or repair by USFS at the time of occurrence.

•On September 27, 2023, Patrick Siers of the USFS provided DEQ with additional information. This information showed that the USFS made significant repairs to the liner and did not test the liner for leaks, as required by Circular DEQ-2.

•DEQ performed additional review of records and noticed a discrepancy of 200,000 gallons between inflow and land application volumes.

•On October 11, 2023, DEQ received notification from the USFS that while adding water to Cell 1 in preparation to do the leak test, their engineers determined that the wastewater treatment pond had leaked 14 inches over 5 days.

•In addition, there was no measurable precipitation or evaporation during the eight testing days, so it is likely the pond leaked up to a volume of 50,000-gallons.

•And NOW, the Forest Service is Proposing to Increase the Size from 343,000 gal. to 1,205,000 gals
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG???

Please visit savehollandlake.com and follow the link to leave your public comment for the Flathead National Forest.

04/01/2026

Save Holland Lake’s Reading Room is live now on the website! If you haven't submitted comments on the Flathead National Forest’s proposal for expanding the wastewater treatment plant at Holland Lake, please do so as soon as possible.

The link to submit your public comment: https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?Project=68935

The link to SHL Reading Room (or click on the image below): https://www.savehollandlake.com/shlreadingroom

If you’d like to send us your comment to post in the reading room, please email [email protected]. Indicate if we can use your name publicly or if you prefer to stay anonymous.

Please take time to read through these comments in the Reading Room to understand the important concerns.

Thank You!

Reading Room for comments submitted to the Flathead National Forest regarding expansion of the Wastewater Treatment Plant

04/01/2026

The link to submit your public comments to the Flathead National Forest is in the comments below. We are unsure of the actual deadline for comments, so please submit today if possible. The following letter, submitted by Jen Nave of Polson, provides a nice framework of the current issues and concerns. Thanks Jen!

“I submit the following comments in opposition to the proposed Holland Lake wastewater system reconstruction project.

Based on available information, the proposed action would increase system capacity from approximately 350,000 gallons to 1.55 million gallons… a fivefold expansion. At the same time, no expansion of the adjacent public campground is proposed. This indicates that the primary purpose and effect of the project is to support increased private, commercial use at Holland Lake Lodge, rather than to serve the recreating public.

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal agencies are required to take a “hard look” at the environmental and social impacts of proposed actions, including indirect and cumulative effects, and to rigorously explore reasonable alternatives. The current proposal appears to rely on a categorical exclusion (CE). However, the scale of the capacity increase, the associated construction impacts, and the likelihood of inducing expanded private use raise serious questions as to whether a CE is appropriate in this case.

Specifically:

1. Improper Segmentation and Connected Actions
The proposed wastewater expansion appears to be a connected action to foreseeable increases in lodge use intensity, including large-scale private events. NEPA prohibits segmentation of projects to avoid full environmental review. The Forest Service must analyze the wastewater system expansion together with the reasonably foreseeable increase in commercial use it is designed to support.

2. Indirect and Cumulative Impacts
The proposal fails to adequately address indirect effects, including increased traffic, noise, reduced public access, and intensification of private use on public land. Cumulative impacts must also be considered, particularly in light of prior proposals to expand lodge operations and ongoing pressures on recreation resources in the Swan Valley.

3. Extraordinary Circumstances
The use of a categorical exclusion is inappropriate where extraordinary circumstances exist. Potential impacts to recreation experience, public access, water quality, and the character of the area warrant a higher level of review, such as an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

4. Purpose and Need Statement
The apparent purpose and need for the project is improperly defined. A fivefold increase in wastewater capacity, absent any expansion of public facilities, suggests the true purpose is to accommodate expanded private commercial operations. NEPA requires that the purpose and need not be so narrowly defined as to predetermine the outcome.

5. Reasonable Alternatives
A reasonable alternative, repairing or replacing the existing system at or near its original design capacity, has not been meaningfully analyzed. This alternative would meet current needs, reduce cost and environmental impact, and better align with public use objectives.

6. Fiscal Responsibility and Public Benefit
While the Forest Service refuses to share the cost of this project with taxpayers, making meaningful comment difficult, we can estimate that it will cost at least $3–5 million. The Forest Service must justify how this expenditure primarily benefits the public, rather than subsidizing private profit on public land.

7. Construction and Site Impacts
The scale of construction, including substantial fill and heavy truck traffic, will adversely affect nearby campground and recreational users through noise, dust, odor, and visual impacts. These effects must be fully analyzed and disclosed.

8. Impacts on Wildlife
A lagoon of this size will surely serve as an attractant for grizzly bears, black bears, and other wildlife. These effects must be fully analyzed and disclosed.

Given these concerns, I respectfully request that the Forest Service:

• Withdraw the categorical exclusion determination

• Prepare a full Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement

• Analyze the wastewater proposal in conjunction with reasonably foreseeable increases in lodge use

• Fully evaluate a reduced-capacity alternative

• Ensure that any final decision prioritizes public access and benefit

• Public lands are held in trust for all Americans. Infrastructure investments should reflect that responsibility.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.”

03/30/2026

Holland Lake is one of Montana’s crown jewels: a clear, cold mountain lake surrounded by wildlife habitat and cherished by generations of campers, hikers, and families. Yet for years, the shoreline has been overshadowed by a private lodge operating on public land with aging infrastructure and ambitions far beyond what this fragile ecosystem can bear.

Holland Lake Lodge’s wastewater system is failing. The concrete holding tank is over 50 years old and not watertight. That alone should alarm anyone who cares about clean water.

Instead of addressing the immediate hazard with an appropriately scaled fix, the US Forest Service has proposed a massively oversized and expensive new system. Paid for by taxpayers.

We don’t believe this is a coincidence. It is a signal. The public already rejected a resort style expansion in 2022, and yet the groundwork for expansion appears to be resurfacing through infrastructure planning.

Holland Lake a place for quiet recreation, wildlife, and the kind of natural beauty that doesn’t coexist with commercial growth.

There is a better path forward. There are more practical options for the wastewater system that protect the lake, respect the community’s wishes, and ensure that Holland Lake remains what it has always been: a place for everyone.

Montanans have spoken clearly. Now it’s time for the Forest Service to listen.

Help protect Holland Lake and the surrounding wilderness. Please start composing your public comment to the Flathead National Forest. Visit savehollandlake.com for details.

03/28/2026

As Mike Garrity wrote, “Just to be clear, Botello wants taxpayers to pay millions to greatly expand the size of the wastewater treatment pond to benefit a private business, but the American people cannot have a say in this decision. Only the Forest Service and the private corporation do. What could go wrong?

For one thing, the new plan will pump human waste and food waste directly into the sewage pond and then spray it onto the surrounding forest directly above the existing Forest Service campground. The previous design pumped the sewage into the pond after it first sat in a septic tank where the solids sunk to the bottom.

But as the Forest Service’s own signs warn: “This is bear country!” Sewage ponds with food waste pumped directly into them will undoubtedly attract grizzly bears. How could anyone think luring grizzly bears with a pond full of food waste next to a campground is a good idea?

The new sewage pond will require 15,000 cubic yards of fill to raise a 2-acre site 10 feet higher and is based on a design that has failed twice in the last 20 years. A similar design, with less than half the seismic potential, failed in Idaho in a moderate earthquake.

If an earthquake causes the sewage pond to collapse, the sewage will run downhill, through the campground, right into Holland Lake. I doubt if the people who can afford to stay at Holland Lake Lodge will like swimming in raw sewage — but the bull trout in Holland Lake, listed as threatened on the Endangered Species list, certainly won’t.

The purpose of the National Environmental Policy Act is to ensure the federal government “looks before it leaps” and gives the public a say in how our public lands are managed. Instead, federal bureaucrats apparently have decided we, the public, don’t deserve to have a say. Instead, they are consulting behind closed doors with the Utah businessman who wants to get rich by turning Holland Lake Lodge into a retreat for the wealthy to have weddings and parties.

It is clear the public must be involved in the plans to reopen Holland Lake Lodge. Former Forest Supervisor, Kurt Steele, lost his job for trying to keep the public in the dark. If Botello continues to “exempt” the public, he should be replaced as well.

Please tell the Forest Service that we have had enough of their secret plans. Montanans deserve a say in what happens at Holland Lake and who gets to go there. Billionaires have already ruined Big Sky. Let’s protect Holland Lake and return Holland Lake Lodge to a place all Americans can enjoy, not just billionaires.”

Read the full op-ed in the Flathead Beacon. Link in comments 👇🏻

03/26/2026

We appreciate Monica Tranel showing up to the recent meeting regarding Holland Lake in Condon and asking the Flathead National Forest direct, important questions.

As quoted from her Substack piece, “The failures at Holland Lake Lodge are the cumulative result of a system being deliberately starved. If we continue on that path, We the People will own the land in name only, while private interests control it in practice and make money off our resources.

In Holland Lake Lodge it is time to rethink the West, and revisit the Pinchot – Muir debate.

Let’s grab it with both hands and show up to reclaim our public lands. We the People must claim the right to make decisions about how our public lands are used, and who benefits from them, and how.

All together.”

Link to Monica’s full piece in comments below👇🏻

03/25/2026

Our mission to protect Holland Lake is completely volunteer led and funded. One of our wonderful volunteers spent hours updating the website and sending out a message to the email list we’ve been building since this ordeal started in 2022. If you want to be added to the list, send us a message on socials with your email address or email [email protected] 📧

Please take a look at our updated website to get caught up on the situation and learn how you can help protect the area by visiting savehollandlake.com

Save Holland Lake is advocating for informed discussion surrounding the specifics of a proposed wastewater system to be built at taxpayer expense. To be clear, Save Holland Lake wants to see the Lodge operating and enjoyed by the public. However, we are concerned the proposed expansion is not in line with caring for the lake, its wildlife, and the surrounding public lands. The proposed wastewater plant appears to be a harbinger for a major expansion of use and potentially, expansion of the Lodge. Expanding use will have cumulative effects on the pristine alpine lake and its important wildlife habitats.

Public comments are now being taken by the Flathead National Forest. Visit our website for a direct link to comment.

Thank you for helping us to protect this cherished piece of Montana.

03/24/2026

Public comment is more important than ever‼️

In lieu of the Flathead National Forest not providing a public reading room for the very important issue of expanding Holland Lake’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, Save Holland Lake has decided to create one ourselves.

Public comment is an essential part of the “administrative record” considered by a reviewing court if litigation occurs. If it (issues, concerns, data, citations to publications, etc.), isn’t in the record, the court won’t consider it.

If you have a comment you would be willing to share, please email [email protected] Please indicate if we can share your name or if you prefer to remain anonymous.

Link to send your public comment to the Flathead National Forest in comments below as well as a link to the public reading room we are creating (in progress) 👇🏻

Thank you!

03/23/2026

Thank you Laura Lundquist of the Missoula Current for helping the public to better understand the wastewater fiasco at Holland Lake. The full article has much more information than shared here, so be sure to check out the link below in the comments. To summarize:

“After learning that a Holland Lake Lodge sewage holding tank is far smaller than previously claimed, some public land watchdogs are upping their opposition to Missoula County’s decision to grant a variance.

On Thursday, after learning new information, the Alliance for the Wild Rockies joined Save Holland Lake in insisting that the Missoula City-County Board of Health rescind the health-code variance it granted to Holland Lake Lodge for a wastewater holding tank.

In its March 4 letter, Save Holland Lake calculated that the typical sewage flows would be 3,650 gallons a day, based upon an occupancy of 50 guests and 20 employees. If, as advertised on its website, the Lodge hosts a wedding with 200 guests, the tank would fill even faster, although the county authorized the use of chemical toilets as a backup. That means the tank would have to be pumped twice a day at a minimum and five times a day to keep waste from topping the inlet pipe.

That assumes that the tank is water-tight, which it may not be. The storage tank with its crumbling concrete is more than 50 years old and is buried less than 100 feet from the lake and 175 feet from a public water supply. If it leaks, the sewage could contaminate the groundwater and ultimately Holland Lake.

Jacobsen is having to find a sewage alternative for this summer because the lining of wastewater lagoons that served Holland Lake Lodge and Holland Lake Campground were poorly maintained, so they’ve been leaking human waste into the groundwater for decades. The lagoons were discontinued until they could be rebuilt, which is planned for this summer. But that leaves Jacobsen unable to open this year unless he can find an alternative for managing the Lodge’s waste.

During the February Board meeting, Save Holland Lake proposed one alternative: pump the wastewater to the existing 8,000-gallon septic tanks on the hill above the Lodge. Therriault reportedly already mentioned this option to Jacobsen. But since the waste would still flow through the storage tank, Jacobsen would still need to replace the tank if it’s leaking.

Or he could remove the tank and install piping and an enclosed pump to move the sewage up the hill.
The catch with that proposal is the U.S. Forest Service is proposing to repair the wastewater lagoons on the hill this summer. But it also has plans to enlarge them to five times their current capacity, which would require removal of the septic tanks. Save Holland Lake questions why taxpayers have to pay to enlarge the lagoons if Jacobsen has said he doesn’t intend to expand the Lodge. If the lagoons are simply repaired, the septic tanks could remain.

“No matter what, (the old tank) shouldn’t be used as a holding tank. The piping is all wrong for a holding tank. It means the waste is basically backing up into the sewer mains to the lodge and the cabins, which means they’re likely to clog. It’s something they’re going to have to replace and why he doesn’t just replace it, I don’t know. But it’s money out of his pocket, as opposed to the lagoons, which the Forest Service owns,” Roberts said. “I tried to tell (Jacobsen) before he closed (on the lodge). If you’re going to take care of the lake, it’s going to take a six-figure fix.””

Be sure to submit your public comments to the Flathead National Forest on this situation. Link in comments 👇🏻

03/21/2026

This article by Keila Szpaller of the Daily Montanan does a wonderful job explaining the current wastewater concerns at Holland Lake. Please read the entire article linked in the comments below. Here’s a few excerpts explaining the details of our position and sharing the facts surrounding this situation:

“A watchdog group is raising questions about plans to deal with wastewater at Holland Lake — both a proposal from the U.S. Forest Service to upgrade the treatment system as well as Holland Lake Lodge’s temporary workaround.

This week, Save Holland Lake again asked the Missoula City-County Board of Health to rescind a variance it granted to allow the lodge to operate an old wastewater holding tank, citing risks to public health.

The board approved the tank’s use through 2028. But Save Holland Lake said the plan is risky, and the board should reconsider its actions because the information it received about the tank doesn’t meet criteria for the variance.

In a letter urging the board to rescind the variance, Save Holland Lake said uncertainty exists regarding the tank’s capacity, structural integrity and watertightness, along with the actual wastewater usage of the lodge. The letter was sent from Forster Law in Billings on behalf of Save Holland Lake.

The letter said the director of environmental health herself noted the concrete tank is “starting to crumble,” it’s possible water is “intruding” into the tank, and the record doesn’t show that it isn’t leaking.

“As expressed by one of the Board members during the hearing, granting a variance in the face of such uncertainty is allowing Holland Lake Lodge to ‘gamble’ on whether the existing tank will work or not,” the letter said.

David Roberts, an engineer and member of Save Holland Lake, said the group isn’t opposed to the reopening of the lodge. However, he said it does have concerns the variance was granted without all the facts — and with conditions that don’t fit the situation.

For example, Roberts said the board mandated the tank be tested, but the test being used is designed for a brand new tank, not one decades old that multiple engineers have found to be leaky.

“This system has had a history of failures,” Roberts said. “It failed multiple times. This tank was documented in writing as leaking in the past twice.”

A subsequent letter March 19 from the Save group estimated the tank capacity to be roughly 2,353 gallons total with a “working capacity” of 670 gallons — “far lower than the multiple estimates of daily use contained in Holland Lake Lodge’s various submissions.” Save Holland Lake estimated typical flow for the lodge at 3,650 gallons a day, citing data from the lodge and the DEQ.

“These figures further establish that reliance on the existing tank is infeasible, and MPH (Missoula Public Health) must consider alternatives,” the letter said.”

The Forest Service’s proposal to rebuild the wastewater system has raised concerns as well. Roberts, with Save Holland Lake, said the proposal would allow for a significantly larger operation.

Save Holland Lake said the proposed system would allow five times more volume than the existing one, be designed for 30% more volume in winter than POWDR’s controversial plan, and be built on the taxpayer dime.

“We are not opposed to the lodge reopening, but do not support the proposal based on its size, cost, and potential environmental risk and impact,” Roberts said. “ … It appears taxpayer (dollars) are highly subsidizing not just the operation, but the growth and value of a private business.”

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03/20/2026

Why is the Flathead National Forest planning to build such a massive wastewater system? Why should $3-4 million be spent to build it?

We recently looked back to see what wastewater capacity POWDR would have needed for their planned expansion. Remember the size of the resort they wanted to build at Holland Lake Lodge? The current proposed design could almost support the full POWDR expansion, and could with minor modifications. The size is mainly driven by winter use and this design has 30% MORE winter volume than POWDR planned.

So why are they insisting it be built this big? Is this a smart use of taxpayer funds?

📷 Meg Munden

03/18/2026

Profit on Public Land: Letter to the Editor of the Daily Interlake

“Remember three years ago when the Flathead National Forest, Holland Lake Lodge and POWDR tried to slip a massive expansion of the lodge under the public’s nose? Well they’re at it again.

The Flathead Forest recently held a public meeting where they discussed plans to increase the capacity of the wastewater/sewage treatment system that services the campground and the lodge from 350,000 gallons to a massive 1,550,000 gallons, a 5x increase.

There is no planned expansion in the campground, which means that 90% of this project benefits the lodge. But why does the lodge need such a huge wastewater system? And how much will this cost us taxpayers?

Those questions were asked, but the Flathead Forest cagily refused to answer them. How will the general public benefit from this estimated $3-5 million expenditure? Well, most of us won’t benefit at all. Because the lodge is going for the big moneymaker; 200 person private weddings/events. The lodge does not plan to open to the general public. In fact, if they have their way, there will be no general public access on the public land at all. Their elite guests want their privacy, after all.

Wouldn’t it be less expensive to rebuild the leaking system at the original planned capacity, which is still more than twice the actual capacity? Sure it would. Way less impact too.

This project would mean over 1,500 truckloads of fill, piled 10 feet high, to collect sewage from the lodge’s private parties and expansion. Right across the road from the campground. Sounds dusty. Stinky. Loud. Gross.

If you don’t want to write a blank check to the Forest Service so that an exclusive lodge can make a hefty profit operating on public land while you get smothered in dust and stink, please submit a public comment on their project page.” https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/flathead/projects/68935

—✍️ & 📷: Jennifer Nave, Polson