Sanitary District Update

As reported in the fall issue of The Cullen Currents, the Joint Powers Board, comprised of representatives of the Crow Wing County Board of Commissioners and the Thirty Lakes Watershed District, has proposed the formation of a Sanitary District. The City of Nisswa and Pelican Township are included in the proposed district. Both units of government will be making a decision by April whether or not to join the District.

Since last fall, monthly meetings have been held by the Joint Powers Board for the purpose of addressing topics such as the proposed range of services, representation on the board, staffing needs, costs, etc. Since about two-thirds of the Cullen Lakes shoreland properties would be part of the proposed district, Shirley Hild, Co-Chair of the Sewage Treatment Systems Committee, has participated in the regular meetings and appropriate subcommittee meetings. Representatives of the Joint Powers Board will be presenting information on the above topics to city councils and township boards during February and March.

The purpose of a sanitary district is to protect surface and ground water by managing all wastewater and septage within a specified area in order to promote public health and welfare. The boundaries of the proposed district were based on the high rate of growth and development of the area. Individual sewage treatment systems (ISTSs) are an effective method of treating sewage and in most areas of the District will continue to be the method of choice for this purpose, if the systems are properly used and maintained. However, there are some areas of the proposed district that have been identified as having, or potentially having, problems with the ability of ISTSs to adequately treat sewage due to factors such as soil conditions, density of structures, and population growth.

The planning for, and management of, wastewater and septage for the District will be accomplished in the following ways:

1. The administration of the District will be under the direction of a board, which will be comprised of one member from each of the units of government within the District. These members will be appointed by the respective unit of government.

2. A baseline of information on all ISTSs in the District will be established. This will be accomplished by researching city and county records for Certificates of Compliance and/or Compliance Inspections.

3. Compliance inspections will be conducted of all ISTSs, except those that have been installed or inspected for compliance since 1996. (This was the year the County

adopted MN Rule 7080 which sets standards for individual sewage treatment systems.)

4. Maintenance of ISTSs will be monitored for compliance with MN Rule 7080, which currently

requires an assessment and/or pumping of a septic tank, if needed, at least once every three years by a licensed pumper. In addition, District ordinances will require an assessment of the drainfield.

5. The disposal of septage by pumpers will be monitored.

6. Future sites for septage disposal will be planned for.

7. Areas will be identified for further assessment to determine if alternative methods of treating sewage, such as clustering, are needed to eliminate potential health hazards.

8. Research will be conducted, solutions developed, and funding solicited for areas needing alternative sewage treatment systems.

9. State rules and District ordinances will be enforced by the District in cooperation with the respective local jurisdiction.

10. Cities and county will remain responsible for issuing permits for the installation of new sewage treatment systems.

11. Administration costs (office expenses, legal services, insurance, per diems, salaries, etc.)

will be financed by an assessment of $25.00 a year per each parcel with improvements on it. This will not include properties on city sewer.

12. Owners will pay to have their system assessed and maintained and will contract with the licensed and District certified inspector and/or pumper of their choice.

13. Specific projects, such as the installation of a cluster system for a group of properties, will be financed with public funding and grants, when available, and through an assessment

of those directly benefiting from the improvement.

The benefits of being part of the Sanitary District for Cullen Lakes shoreland property owners are as follows:

1. CLA has already determined the status of all ISTSs on the shorelands through our 2002 project (funded by grants only). However, that survey did not include inspections of any ISTS's in the remainder of the Cullen Lakes watershed. Through the District’s activities, Cullen Lakes property owners could be assured that any potential contamination of their surface and ground water resulting from ineffective sewage treatment has been eliminated.

2. The life and effectiveness of an ISTS is, in part, determined by adequate maintenance. Through the District’s monitoring of and ability to enforce the required maintenance of ISTS's, CLA will be able to meet and exceed our Lake Management Plan goal to maintain or improve the current water quality of the Cullen Lakes by increasing owner compliance with recommended maintenance of septic systems.

3. While the expectation is that ISTSs will effectively handle the treatment of sewage on the Cullen Lakes shorelands for many years to come, it is not impossible that some area of the shorelands may need in the future consider alternatives to septic systems due to factors such as structure density, lot sizes, etc. If that occurs the District would conduct assessments and research, determine possible solutions, facilitate the property owners’ decision-making, obtain public funding, and contract for installation and management, if needed.

While each city council or township board will make the final decision on joining the Sanitary District, your input would be appreciated.

Information on the proposed district will be presented to the City of Nisswa at 7:00 PM on February 18 and to Pelican Township at 8:00 PM on March 8. If you are not able to attend the meetings, your comments can be submitted to Nisswa by February 13 and Pelican Township by March 5. Address your comments to:

City of Nisswa          or        Shirley Wallin, Pelican Township Clerk
        P.O. Box 410                  27717 Sunset Valley Road
        Nisswa, MN 56468            Pequot Lakes, MN 56472