Tofte and Schroeder address water quality issues

Tofte and Schroeder look at wastewater treatment
Nancye Belding
True North correspondent

Do you think wastewater treatment is boring? The two dozen or so people who attended the August 28th open house offered by the board of the Tofte Schroeder Sanitary Sewer District might beg to disagree. Apparently fascinated, they listened for two hours while three knowledgeable speakers disclosed findings of the recent assessment of wells and treatment systems in the district, showed GIS/GPS maps linked to these findings, and gave tips on maintenance of your septic system investment.
Inspector Jeff Crosby told the good and not-so-good news discovered during his assessment of the 40 businesses and resorts, 110 year round homes and 132 cabins and seasonal homes. The good news is that the district compares favorably with others on the North Shore, where the combination of minimal soil and fractured bedrock makes many a system nonconforming. Crosby attributes this to the fact that much development in the district is of a relatively recent date.
Not-so-good is the finding that among both businesses and residences the noncompliant or “definitional failure” rate is about 40 percent. For residences, this number includes six percent with surface sewage, defined as “Imminent Public Health Threat.” Crosby said the IPHT includes about 20 seasonal or year round homes.
The definitional failures, he said, may not pass the Minnesota standard that requires three feet of well-drained soil separating the mound or drainfield from the bedrock layer. Other causes of noncompliance can be leaking tanks, especially metal ones, drywells and ponded systems.
Clinton Little, consultant from the Lake Superior Coastal Program, assisted Crosby by setting up a data base of all the information obtained from the assessment, and then using GIS/GPS technology to map that information. With the click of a mouse, Little was able to pull up all the information on any property, including location of wells and driveways. This was not actually done to protect citizen privacy, but with a few more clicks Little showed the relative locations of wells, driveways and septic systems for the whole district with interesting graphics.
Rick Anderson, board chair for the district, asked for input as to how the nonconforming systems and IPHT systems should be dealt with.
Two themes emerged from the discussion: First, IPHT’s need to be addressed as soon as possible and loan or grant funds provided when needed. Second, most people favor adopting a “Point of Sale” ordinance. This was rejected at the county level, but the sewer district has the authority to do so on its own. The ordinance would provide that any time a property is sold, the seller would have to have a compliance inspection and the funds to pay for repair or replacement would come out of the sale proceeds. It is, Crosby noted, a very fair way to bring older systems into compliance.
The third presenter was Laurie Brown, from the University of Minnesota Community Education Extension in Cloquet. Her slideshow, called “Buried Treasure in Your Back Yard,” emphasized the critical importance of protecting and regularly maintaining home septic systems, normally an investment of $10,000 to $20,000.
Brown had many excellent suggestions, such as: Don't put chemicals or medicines or Pine Sol down your sinks or toilets. Use little bleach and only mild liquid detergents. Stagger water use and conserve water. Clean your effluent filter (newer systems have these) twice a year. Pump out your tank at least every three years. Aerobic bacteria in your drain field or mound help to keep it clean and harsh chemicals reduce or destroy their effectiveness. If there is a back-up, call for help immediately or your system could break down.