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News From 91.3 KUWS
Gordon to look at going on line, not with Google but with sewage treatment
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Story posted Tuesday at 12:08 p.m. 3/16/2010 |
With a grant from the federal stimulus package the Gordon Sanitary District is conducting a feasibility study to connect 55 buildings to its sewer system. Joe Cadotte reports.
Waste from 79 buildings connected to the Gordon Sanitary District is filtered before it’s released into the ground. The remaining 55 buildings in Gordon that aren’t connected to the city’s sewer system rely on 49 feet of hard pan to filter poop and pee. St. Paul Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager Brett Coleman says the U.S. Department of Agriculture has deemed most of the soil in Gordon very limited in terms of its ability to filter waste.
“Very limited because being on an unacceptable filtering capacity, the best solution would be to add these houses and business to a wastewater collection system.”
Gordon Sanitary District President Doug MacDonald secured $261,000 in federal money for a study to connect 55 buildings to the Gordon Sanitary District. MacDonald says getting everyone connected to a sewer system will be better for the environment and attract new businesses.
“It’s great for your gas station, your bowling alley, people who use large volumes of water. They don’t have to put in mound systems. I know they love it, it’s great. They don’t have to worry about a septic system failing. It’s trouble free for the people.”
The concern is to protect the water table in Gordon which flows into the St. Croix and Eau Claire rivers. MacDonald says most wells in Gordon are drilled at least 50 feet. Department of Natural Resources Water Management Specialist John Spangberg says a city sewer system isn’t necessarily cleaner than septic systems.
“If you’re in an area with shallow ground water you’re going to want your wastewater treated at a central facility because you’re going to get far better removal of bad things that are in it. Down 50 feet, and the density of people isn’t that great, septic systems aren’t going to hurt a thing.”
Coleman estimates it will cost nearly $2,000,000 to connect 55 buildings to the Gordon Sanitary District. MacDonald says they’ll find out as soon as next year when the funding will be available.
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