Dec. 6 -- NORTHERN TOWNSHIP -- As it continues its long, arduous process of installing a sanitary sewer system around Lake Bemidji, Northern Township invites its residents to voice their thoughts and concerns about the project at a public hearing set for 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9, at Northern Town Hall.
Sparked by some septic system issues and failures in the last few years, the township has long sought a solution to protect Lake Bemidji -- namely with a centralized system that would be easier to maintain and regulate compared to individual systems on each property.
Northern Township Administrator Chris Lahn noted that such discussions date back to the 1960s and 70s, during which Beltrami County conducted a study to see what type of system would be necessary and most beneficial for wastewater services around the entirety of Lake Bemidji.
"At the time, that report was recommending extending city services all the way up to the north end of the lake," Lahn shared. "We had recommendations coming in that said, given the (population) density on the lake, that having some kind of centralized solution would work."
The Environmental Protection Agency website states that centralized systems treat wastewater in a single, centralized location. Sewers collect municipal wastewater from homes, businesses and industries and deliver it to a treatment plant for processing. After wastewater is treated, it is reused or discharged to surface water or groundwater.
On the other hand, decentralized systems treat sewage from homes and businesses near the source where wastewater is generated rather than collecting and transporting waste to a centralized treatment plant. Decentralized systems can provide an effective, low-cost alternative to a centralized system, which may be impractical in some situations because of distance, terrain or other factors.
Several iterations of a sanitary sewer system have been drafted following discussions in 2021 about
Ruttger's Birchmont Lodge having issues with a failing septic system.
A partnership between the city of Bemidji and Northern Township was proposed where the township would connect to the city's water and sewer system for an established fee.
The proposal fell through in the spring of 2023 due to concerns over annexation
and the township began pursuing the installation of its own system with hopes to align the project with Beltrami County's plan to redo County Road 20.
"Everybody realized that if we were able to install the pipe all the way on the north side of the lake and do it alongside their road construction, it was going to save our project over a million dollars," Lahn said.
Ultimately, the township has landed on a gravity flow design.
According to a feasibility report approved by the township board on Nov. 12,
gravity service connections are inherently more cost-effective and easier to maintain for users than pump-assisted systems that require ongoing energy use and equipment maintenance.
"This approach minimizes the need for residents to invest in and maintain lift or grinder pumps, thereby reducing long-term costs and simplifying system use," the report states.
Due to certain topographical or locational challenges, however, some properties would still require pump-assisted connections.
The total anticipated cost for the project is estimated at $12.8 million, which includes expenses related to design, construction, treatment facility development and infrastructure installation.
The township has received $6 million in federal grants to offset the cost to local property owners, who would be responsible for 60% of the assessment value of non-treatment plant components of the project. Estimated assessments clock in at approximately $5.7 million.
All costs address phase one of the project, which would service properties extending from Northwoods Access on the northwest side of Lake Bemidji to Lavinia Access on the east side. Phase two of the project would complete the remainder of the shoreline to the edge of Bemidji's Ward 5. The mechanical plant would have already been installed east of the lake along Big Bass Road.
"We're hoping to secure more funding from the state -- we're looking at multiple options there -- so then we can do phase two in 2027," Lahn said. "The plant would already be there, so at that point, we would just have to place some more pipes in the ground."
Lahn noted the intention to design a system that doesn't just serve properties along Lake Bemidji.
"We definitely wanted something in place that was going to service the entire township," Lahn said. "In the near future -- 10, 15 years -- it'd be really nice to get some lines over to our commercial district, and this system has the capacity to do that."
Throughout numerous meetings, residents have expressed their own thoughts about the project. Most recently, some residents invited Sara Heger -- a researcher and instructor in the Onsite Sewage Treatment Program in the Water Resources Center at the University of Minnesota -- to present potential alternatives to the township's current plans on Nov. 12.
"Community members reached out to our program at the U of M because they were concerned about the direction the project was going," Heger said. "At the end of the day, the decision that you all are making is a big community decision. What we advocate for is having all the information and all options on the table so you're making the best decision for your community."
Certain residents expressed a desire to protect Lake Bemidji while imploring the township board to explore other options that could lower costs and address other impacts of the project.
Heger spoke on a variety of centralized and decentralized systems as well as the impacts of phosphorus in water supplies.
"When you have low (population) density and good soils, the right solution is almost always a decentralized system," Heger said. "As your populations get higher and your soils get poorer, that's where you start looking at clustering and sometimes a centralized solution."
According to Lahn, the township has looked into a variety of different solutions that Heger presented and concluded that their current plan is feasible.
Other citizens noted recent installations of private systems on their properties, a dynamic that Lahn hopes to address by way of a connection policy.
"There are a handful of people with newer systems," Lahn said. "We are looking at options, if we can make it work, that might allow these residents to wait a bit longer to connect."
Lahn noted that 63% of private septic systems in Northern Township are over 25 years old with an additional 30 properties having no records of installation.
"In all likelihood, those (30) properties are in the exact same category because if they were newer, we'd have a record for them," he said. "I would say 80% of the systems around Northern Township are over 25 years old, which are considered end-of-life systems."
Citizens also expressed a desire for an independent feasibility study alongside the report prepared by Mark Fuller of Free and Grund Consulting Engineers. Township residents would likely foot the bill for the study in addition to township dollars already used for Fuller's report.
Heading into Monday's public hearing, Lahn hopes to address citizens' concerns as the board seeks solutions for a longstanding conundrum.
"We really do take feedback to heart and have made substantial changes to this project from it," Lahn left off. "We want to find a solution that's going to work best for everybody."
A full copy of the feasibility study can be found on the