A new report finds that nearly a hundred small communities in Minnesota are illegally putting raw sewage into waterways. In southern Minnesota, nearly 30 towns are using old systems. In some cases they're sending their sewage into lakes, rivers and ditches. And there could be more because eleven counties refused to give researchers any information.
All of the homes in the community of Manchester have a septic system, but it drains into Albert Lea's Fountain Lake. That's a problem because the untreated sewage carries bacteria that can cause illnesses. And for five years, Albert Lea and Manchester have been working on a million dollar solution.
In the small town of Manchester, people say there's a problem with what's going down the drain.
"A lot of them are worried about the cost. They don't want to spend the money. I think something has to be done. And the sooner the better in my opinion," resident Dale Scawback said.
Right now, all the human waste that comes from homes in this community goes untreated and flows into nearby waterways.
"The problem is the septic tanks drain through a series of drainage tiles to the ditch that eventually becomes Wedge Creek. And that's why they're considered a straight pipe community because there's no treatment between the septic tank and the ditch," Shell Rock River Watershed District Outreach Director Cathy Rofshus said.
To fix the problem, Manchester and Albert Lea are working together to put in a pipe along highway 13. It would carry waste water from Manchester to a treatment plant in Albert Lea. The project will be costly.
"That is the absolute problem right there. I mean, you're talking about 63, 70 people. You're looking at a $1.5 million project it's terribly expensive," Rofshus said.
Most of that money will come from federal and state grants. The Shell Rock River Watershed District says the most homeowners in Manchester are expected to pay is an extra $50 per month. Costly solutions are the reason why many communities haven't fixed their sewage problems. Many believe it's time to flush out the problem.
"Things aren't getting any cheaper. Everything goes up every year, economy's not all that good right now. Just keep going up with everything else and I think just get it done and be done with it," Scawback said.
Albert Lea and Manchester are finalizing the contract, before they can start their pipeline project. It's hoped they can start working on it sometime this year. We contacted Iowa's DNR to find out if the Hawkeye state is seeing the same problems with sewage and small communities. The person in charge of that program says there are similar communities in Iowa. She wasn't sure how many there are, and where they are.
