Lewis and Clark County commissioners this week signed off on a $30,000 contract with Great West Engineering, which will explore options to address leaking sewage lagoons at two Helena Valley subdivisions.

About 300 homes in the Ten Mile Creek Estates and Pleasant Valley subdivisions are served by community lagoons, which officials have said are leaking millions of gallons of sewage every year.

Great West will study all available options to address the situation, county grants coordinator Laura Erikson said.

"Any reasonable alternative for wastewater in those subdivisions, they will look at," she said. "We're just happy the project's moving forward."

The county will pay for the engineering work with a $15,000 grant from the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and $15,000 in federal grant money.

Erikson said the report should be available this spring. Potential fixes include repairs to the existing lagoons, connection to the city's wastewater treatment plant, or a new advanced community treatment system.

The county could use some of about $500,000 in federal grant money it still has on hand to cover some of the construction or repair costs. The funds were awarded several years ago and can only be used for wastewater projects in the Helena Valley. The grant is set to expire in January, but Erikson said she's asking for an extension.

Voters in the two subdivisions took matters into their own hands earlier this year by creating a sewer district, which can work with the county to apply for additional grant money and potentially raise money from fees charged to residents.

Reporter Larry Kline: 447-4075

or larry.kline@helenair.com