According to Kalispell authorities, a portion of Grandview Drive will be closed Wednesday through Thursday for work at the Grandview Wells construction site.

The closure is due to the delivery of 12 water treatment plants, part of the city’s plan to curb persistent chemicals (also known as PFAS) currently found in four wells that supply Kalispell with drinking water.

The road closure will take place between Harrison Boulevard and Ponderosa Street. Temporary signs will be put in place to direct traffic.

The reconfiguration and construction required to install the treatment systems in both wells at the Grandview site will cause them to go offline, said Public Works Director Susie Turner.

Turner said the city’s water supply should be minimally affected and she hoped the system would be operational by the end of August.

In April, the Environmental Protection Agency set a limit for PFAS concentrations in drinking water of 4 parts per trillion. While authorities detected chemicals at both Grandview wells, the last sampling conducted in July found that Grandview Well No. 2 contained about twice the level of PFAS above the set limit.

Tests at Grandview Well No. 1 and Armory Well also detected PFAS, but below the legal limit.

Kalispell is one of two communities in Montana where PFAS has been detected in their water supplies, the other being Hamilton.

Turner did not comment on the cost of the treatment system, but said the installation in Grandview is the first part of a multi-phase project.

Turner said the goal is to eliminate PFAS from the drinking water supply by gradually replacing contaminated wells.

According to a city website updated in early August, $95,000 in grant funding has been secured, but another $10.8 million from the Small Systems Emerging Contaminant Grant and Emerging Contaminant SRF Forgiveness loans is still outstanding.

Jack Underhill can be reached at [email protected] and 758-4407.