Big Lake sewer plan remains at an impasse

After years of study and infrastructure planning, the Big Lake Area Sanitary District is having trouble getting over the final hurdle in cleaning up a lake that is surrounded by failing residential sewer systems.

The district has been trying to get the Fond du Lac Reservation’s Reservation Business Committee to sign on to a joint powers agreement that would start the flow of money and construction for a sewage collection plant with hookups around the lake.

Earlier this year, the district board held emergency meetings in order to meet deadlines for getting the JPA signed. FDL has said it is questioning the costs for residents in the district.

On Monday, FDL chairman Kevin Dupuis said discussions are at a standstill. He told the Carlton County board of commissioners that the Band is restricted by federal law stating that no taxes or fees can be collected on reservation trust land. Fees for sewer service would be prohibited, Dupuis said.

He also said a new sewer would likely spur economic development and create more congestion in the area. He said band members living on the lake are already overwhelmed by the summer recreational noise.

“We have no authority over the Big Lake Sanitary District any more than we have over the Fond du Lac Reservation,” county auditor Paul Gassert said in response at the meeting. “The district is an independent agency.”

“We have worked on this issue for over 20 years and no progress has been made,” Dupuis said. “We wish to protect the water but cannot find any common ground with the sanitary district. We are hanging there.”

District chairman John Fredrickson said this week that he and other members of the board would discuss the current status of the JPA at its regular meeting Thursday (after this issue of the Pine Knot News went to press) at the Perch Lake Town Hall. He said he would wait until that meeting to make any comments about the negotiations.

The Big Lake Area Sanitary District is located within Perch Lake Township, Sawyer Township, and within the boundaries of the Fond du Lac Reservation. Current sewer systems include on-site systems for homes or businesses — septic tanks with drain fields or holding tanks, mound systems, and private sewage systems.

Studies completed by Indian Health Services on tribal properties indicate that many of the existing systems are failing or “non-compliant.”

The sanitary district was formed in January 2007. It acts as a single entity for wastewater collection and treatment service. The district entered into an agreement with the Fond du Lac Reservation that allows for representation of both entities on a joint five-member sewer district board. Two members from the board represent FDL and three members are from the townships.

The wastewater treatment plan includes installing low-pressure sanitary sewer lines around Big Lake on Mission Road, Lakeview Drive, Maple Drive, Magney Drive, Brower Drive and some other nearby side roads. The system would include at least one pump station transporting sewage into the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District.

Concern about Big Lake got a boost in 2002 when FDL was awarded a state Clean Water Partnership grant to investigate sources of pollution in the lake. Big Lake is a shallow, clear lake with no surface water inflow or outflow. Algae blooms are still restricted to shoreline areas being controlled by submerged weeds.

The district’s board of directors has agreed with a task force that found the sewer “project is not only feasible, but it is the most cost-effective solution to provide wastewater treatment within the district.” The task force reviewed the funding package and said “there will not be a better funding option in the future.”

It is expected that residents around the lake will need to pay about $100 a month for the new service. Because the density is low, the individual fees are high. And the cost is based on all properties connecting to the system

Based on septic tank surveys, more than half of the existing individual sewer systems do not comply with state code setback requirements from wells, the lake, buildings or separation distance to groundwater. More than half of the 350 lots do not have space to install a compliant system. The hilly topography on the west side of the lake and the high groundwater on the east side make it difficult to find code-compliant sites for many individual systems. Water quality and beach monitoring data collected by the FDL Environmental Program confirm the need to address wastewater management.

Pine Knot News and Moose Lake Star Gazette reporter Dan Reed contributed to this story.