Northern Township Residents Voice Concerns Over Planned Wastewater Management System

Some septic tanks in Northern Township just north of Bemidji have not been touched for over 50 years. The Northern Township Board has plans to implement a wastewater treatment system to help with the septic tanks that are in need of upgrades, but not every resident in the area is a fan of the new system.

Septic tanks usually have a lifespan of 20-30 years. According to a study done by the Northern Township Board, there is a desperate need for improvements to the septic systems in Northern Township, with potentially up to 70% of current septic tanks in the area being over 25 years old.

The Northern Township Board is currently seeking to implement a mechanical plant along Lake Bemidji to help with the issue and centralize wastewater management for the township. The total cost of Phase 1 of the project alone will be a little under $13 million dollars, with $6 million of that being paid for with grants and township road funds.

But what many residents of the township have a problem with is where the rest of the money will come from.

“Residential property owners are responsible for 60% of the costs, excluding the treatment plant, equating to roughly 45% of the total project costs,” said Mark Fuller, Freeberg & Grund Consulting Engineers Owner, at a public hearing on Monday.

The Northern Township Board held the meeting to let residents voice their concerns with the project.

“The study doesn’t address the quality of life impacts on the 11 households closest to the site, including ours,” said one resident.

The board is using what they call an equivalent dwelling unit (EDU) for each house in the area to come up with a total wastewater usage estimate for each household. That estimate will affect how much each resident pays monthly for the system, which for a single dwelling unit is about $55. Some residents said they had a problem with their monthly estimate.

“I live in a 700-square-foot house by myself and I will be paying the same fee as somebody who has a large house with many family members,” said another resident. “There needs to be some way to make this assessment fair.”

Some of those at the meeting believed the board wasn’t being very clear with the evidence they had gathered about the septic tanks in the area, and also that they weren’t being fair to all the residents, as those who live along Lake Bemidji are set to pay an average of $14,000 for the installation of the project on top of the monthly fees they will owe in the future.

“We’re not trying to harm anybody,” says Jess Frenzel, Northern Township Chairman. “We see an opportunity to take care of this and we’re trying to represent our constituents the best we can, protect our tax base the best we can, do what we think is right for our environment and do what’s right for our people.”

“When you are elected officials, they do the best they can,” added Mike Kelly, Northern Township Supervisor. “And if people aren’t happy with it, there’s an easy out, and that’s to run for office and get rid of us.”

No decision has been made on whether to move forward with this project as of yet. The Northern Township Board hopes to make that decision at their next meeting on December 23rd.

Correction 12/16/24: This story originally said that equivalent benefited front footage determines how much residents pay monthly for a wastewater treatment system; that is actually represented by an equivalent dwelling unit (EDU). The estimated cost of installation for those along Lake Bemidji is also about $14,000, not $35,000 as originally reported.