APEC Engineering was chosen to plan this 151 lot mixed use development because of their ability to get difficult projects approved and find creative design solutions for uncommon project challenges. 

 

The Glacier Ranch Subdivision is located in Kalispell, MT and straddles Trumbull Creek and sits on a ground base of gravel alluvium resulting in shallow groundwater at the project site. Given the shallow groundwater and without an option to hook up to municipal utilities, APEC Engineering was hired to design a community waste treatment system that would meet extremely stringent nitrate and phosphorus limits imposed by regulatory agencies reviewing the project and to act as technical consultant and advocate for the project during public hearings where the project met with fierce opposition. Two other similar projects in the area, facing the same challenges, had already been denied.
 

In order to meet the stringent regulatory requirements imposed on the project, APEC chose to incorporate in our wastewater system design an extended aeration and tertiary treatment plant manufactured by a third party vendor. The technology has never before been used in Montana and the burden of documented evidence required to demonstrate effectiveness and obtain approval was substantial. The system and the project were approved due to the pioneering approach we used and our willingness to apply a non-conventional solution to a difficult problem. In addition, APEC was able to eliminate expensive lift stations (a more conventional approach) through the use of an innovative low pressure sewer collection and transportation design . The savings from this design helped offset a portion of the cost of the advanced treatment system.