Save Holland Lake

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached a settlement with a Great Falls oil refinery for its federal Clean Air Act violations. Groundwater near a lake in the Swan Valley has not been contaminated due to wastewater leaking from a nearby holding pond.

The owner of a historic lakeside lodge in the Swan Valley said he’s backing down from a plan to expand the resort. The move sparked celebration for a group opposed to the project.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality said wastewater may be leaking from holding ponds that sit just uphill from Holland Lake in the Swan Valley.

Emails show the Flathead National Forest Service worked closely with a resort company proposing a large expansion of Holland Lake Lodge in the Swan Valley ahead of the proposal’s public unveiling last fall.

A grassroots group that is opposed to the expansion of a lakeside lodge in the Swan Valley is asking the Forest Service for more transparency as it reviews future expansion proposals.

The current owner of Holland Lake Lodge has been seeking to sell the property for years, saying it is in bad shape and in need of updates. Many locals were outraged after they learned of a plan to buy and triple the capacity of the lodge.