Articles written by Dennis Rathbun


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  • The cost is too high - get involved, vote

    Dennis Rathbun, Seeley Lake, Mont.|Apr 23, 2020

    Now our community, as well as the rest of the nation, is deeply affected by severe economic conditions brought on by a pandemic. Prior to this, many of us couldn’t afford the proposed sewer system that is being, for lack of a better term, “shoved down our throats.” This system has been touted as a way to cleanup Seeley Lake. Will it have a positive effect on the nitrate level of the lake? Quite possibly, but so small as to be all but immeasurable. Seeley Lake’s nitrate problems are, for the most part, a result of stripped watershed upstrea...

  • Don't buy into the sewer

    Dennis Rathbun, Seeley Lake, Mont.|Jun 13, 2019

    SEELEY LAKE - Are we, Seeley Lake, in need of a centralized waste system we clearly can’t afford with so many questions still unanswered? If septic systems are affecting our ground water, thus the lake, is it all systems in all areas or just defective systems in need of replacement? Are all waste disposal systems around Seeley Lake functioning properly? Should properties on the lake have holding tanks that are periodically pumped out? Are the 500+ lots in the sewer district really the cause of the problems, or should the entire area north a...

  • Don't Impose Big City Sewer Solutions When a Proven, Small Community Solution Exists

    Dennis Rathbun, Seeley Lake, Mont.|Oct 27, 2016

    SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer District proves to be an important local issue and for good reason. The wrong decision on this issue can put Seeley Lake in a situation of unaffordable debt service on a centralized sewage processing system (CSPS) when our community is better served by individual septic systems. Septics suffer from image problems. Many people still think of them as undependable, old fashioned or as a temporary solution until a centralized system is built. Part of the blame for this can be traced to the popularity of...

  • Who Will Pay for the Sewer?

    Dennis Rathbun, Seeley Lake, Mont.|Aug 18, 2016

    SEELEY LAKE - I’ve read the public notice regarding the proposed levy for the Seeley Lake Sewer District. It is as incomprehensible as most public notices but since it affects me directly – and quite harshly – I tried to puzzle my way through it. It appears to me to be unfair and misdirected taxation. In particular, it talks about an assessment but I don’t think it says who will pay it: just Phase One? Seeley Lake? Does it include the Double Arrow??? It is safe to assume that many that live outside of the district will benefit from the distric...