KABETOGAMA TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN AMENDMENT
Kabetogama Township is the gateway to the Voyageurs National Park. One is taken back in time the moment of your arrival in this beautiful land of smooth worn rocks and clean clear lakes. This peaceful lake county has its origins in great, natural disturbances. Huge sheets of glacial ice from the north overrode this area. As they passed through, the glaciers scraped and plowed the earth beneath their crushing weight leaving a beautiful smooth rocked landscape.
It is believed that the area resembled the hill country of Kentucky and Tennessee as they are today. There were numerous streams with very few lakes. As the climate slowly became cooler and drier, forests of spruce and other conifers appeared, sea levels dropped, and land that had been originally submerged formed over bridges, which many new animals to this part of the world immigrated from Europe, and Asia. Man did not leave any record of his existence at that time.
The geology of the National Park area is mainly granite, biotite schist, and migmatite (a rock consisting of inter-layered granite and biotite schist on various scales). The exception is the northwest corner of Rainy Lake, where a major volcanic-sedimentary (greenstone) belt projects in from Ontario. All of these rocks are early Pre-Cambrian. According to many geologists, some are 2.7 billion years old. As the glacier receded, ice was caught in the debris. As it thawed, it made the now known kettle lakes that dot the area. Other lakes formed in the natural depressions or as the glacier carved out basins in the bedrock.
The climate warmed, the ground thawed and lichens, mosses, ferns and forest returned to cover the barren landscape. As generations of these plants lived and died, they helped to build a thin mantle of soil. Today you see smooth, polished and grooved rock surfaces on numerous islands which are the tops of rocky crags the ice failed to remove. This is what creates the beauty of the area.[1]
In the 1970s Congress created the Voyageurs National Park and the peaceful lake country we know today. In 2000, Kabetogama Township, St. Louis County, was established and a Town Board of Supervisors was elected. Their stated goals are to protect the health, safety and welfare of the small emerging community of Kabetogama. The primary purpose for forming the Township government and the Community Action Plan was to allow the community to play a larger role in fulfilling its needs, providing a common voice in order to participate in a broader debate on issues and policy development on matters that impact the community. In December, 2002, Kabetogama finalized and adopted this Community Action Plan with the Land Use and a Wastewater Committee group of citizens interested in protecting the environment. This Plan identified protecting the environment and wastewater as basic issues and concerns to pursue.
In 2003 Kabetogama Township merged the Land Use and Wastewater Committee groups and they were charged with developing a plan for wastewater improvements on Kabetogama Lake. The Township Board desires to assess the long-term solutions to improving the community’s wastewater infrastructure. The method of identifying the needs and priorities for wastewater improvement is through an amendment to the Kabetogama Township Community Action Plan dated December 2002.
Currently the reliance on onsite wastewater systems represents a major impediment for business and development especially when the respect for natural resources is paramount. The focus of this amendment is to identify the priority for establishing economically viable and environmentally sound approaches to the establishment of wastewater systems in the community. The infrastructure improvements must be needed, affordable and merge with the environment – not harm it. Improved wastewater services should be more attractive and more permanent that the current mound systems that are the predominant wastewater treatment choice. Working together as a community to get this done will be necessary since costs to repair, replace and manage this very valuable and resource sensitive environment cannot be done individually in many areas. Therefore, a community plan for more than one area in the Township will help define common groupings that could work together and save time and costs equally.
This Community Action Plan Amendment establishes the criteria for prioritizing the areas where wastewater services should first be considered. These criteria include:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Areas within Kabetogama Township were rated based on the criteria established by the Township. The criteria were developed to identify potential locations where wastewater treatment needs exist and problems may arise. Existing rules and ordinances establish the minimum standards for onsite wastewater systems.
There are important definitions in State and County rules and ordinances that apply to individual sewage treatment systems. These definitions impact the compliance of existing systems that in turn defines the need for upgrading wastewater systems in Kabetogama Township. Below are the State and County definitions.
Minnesota Rule 7080, for onsite wastewater systems, provided definition for sewage treatment systems that are considered “failing” and for those that are considered an “imminent threat to public health or safety”. Definitions for these terms are as follows:
“Failed System” means a seepage pit, cesspool, drywell, leaching pit, other pit, a tank that obviously leaks below the designated operating depth, or any system with less than the required vertical separation as described in 7080.0060, subpart 3.
“Imminent threat to public health and safety” means situations with the potential to immediately and adversely affect or threaten public health or safety. At a minimum, this includes ground and surface water discharges and sewage backup into dwelling or other establishments.
St. Louis County adopted their Individual Treatment Systems Ordinance 55 effective August 1, 2000 (ISTS Ord. 55). The ISTS Ord. 55 governs treatment systems constructed in the townships and unincorporated areas of St. Louis County. In addition, a point of sale provision applies to property transfers. Important definitions are as follows:
“Imminent threat to public health” means situations where the system is discharging to the ground surface, backing up into the structure, or presents any other situation that prohibits system function. This situation must be abated in 10 days and a new system installed in 60 days unless weather conditions prohibit. In such case the administrator may issue a provisional permit for a holding tank or other method of temporary abatement for as period not to exceed 150 days.
“Non-conformity” means any existing soil treatment system that has less than the equivalent of three feet but more than one foot of vertical separation between the bottom of the distribution media and saturated soil level or bedrock in shoreland areas or two feet in non-shoreland areas; any system that discharges sewage to a seepage pit, dry well, or leaching pit; or individual sewage treatment systems in use that are undersized relative to occupancy. The system may be used until the property use is expanded or the system fails.
“Definitional Failure” means that the system has less than 1 foot of vertical separation but is not discharging to the surface. The system must be corrected within 2 years
Also consulted in the criteria development was the Kabetogama Township Community Action Plan, the St Louis County shoreline zoning ordinance.
METHODOLOGY
An initial set of criteria for wastewater were presented to the Kabetogama Town Board on April 19, 2004. To determine densities aerial photos of the area were consulted. Soils maps, floodplain maps and existing zoning maps were reviewed for environmental suitability.
Wastewater Criteria
After consideration of the needs, natural resources and environmental considerations, the following criteria were established for wastewater prioritization:
KABETOGAMA TOWNSHIP
Kabetogama Township is the gateway to the Voyageurs National Park. One is taken back in time the moment of your arrival in this beautiful land of smooth worn rocks and clean clear lakes. This peaceful lake county has its origins in great, natural disturbances. Huge sheets of glacial ice from the north overrode this area. As they passed through, the glaciers scraped and plowed the earth beneath their crushing weight leaving a beautiful smooth rocked landscape.
It is believed that the area resembled the hill country of Kentucky and Tennessee as they are today. There were numerous streams with very few lakes. As the climate slowly became cooler and drier, forests of spruce and other conifers appeared, sea levels dropped, and land that had been originally submerged formed over bridges, which many new animals to this part of the world immigrated from Europe, and Asia. Man did not leave any record of his existence at that time.
The geology of the National Park area is mainly granite, biotite schist, and migmatite (a rock consisting of inter-layered granite and biotite schist on various scales). The exception is the northwest corner of Rainy Lake, where a major volcanic-sedimentary (greenstone) belt projects in from Ontario. All of these rocks are early Pre-Cambrian. According to many geologists, some are 2.7 billion years old. As the glacier receded, ice was caught in the debris. As it thawed, it made the now known kettle lakes that dot the area. Other lakes formed in the natural depressions or as the glacier carved out basins in the bedrock.
The climate warmed, the ground thawed and lichens, mosses, ferns and forest returned to cover the barren landscape. As generations of these plants lived and died, they helped to build a thin mantle of soil. Today you see smooth, polished and grooved rock surfaces on numerous islands which are the tops of rocky crags the ice failed to remove. This is what creates the beauty of the area.[1]
In the 1970s Congress created the Voyageurs National Park and the peaceful lake country we know today. In 2000, Kabetogama Township, St. Louis County, was established and a Town Board of Supervisors was elected. Their stated goals are to protect the health, safety and welfare of the small emerging community of Kabetogama. The primary purpose for forming the Township government and the Community Action Plan was to allow the community to play a larger role in fulfilling its needs, providing a common voice in order to participate in a broader debate on issues and policy development on matters that impact the community. In December, 2002, Kabetogama finalized and adopted this Community Action Plan with the Land Use and a Wastewater Committee group of citizens interested in protecting the environment. This Plan identified protecting the environment and wastewater as basic issues and concerns to pursue.
In 2003 Kabetogama Township merged the Land Use and Wastewater Committee groups and they were charged with developing a plan for wastewater improvements on Kabetogama Lake. The Township Board desires to assess the long-term solutions to improving the community’s wastewater infrastructure. The method of identifying the needs and priorities for wastewater improvement is through an amendment to the Kabetogama Township Community Action Plan dated December 2002.
Currently the reliance on onsite wastewater systems represents a major impediment for business and development especially when the respect for natural resources is paramount. The focus of this amendment is to identify the priority for establishing economically viable and environmentally sound approaches to the establishment of wastewater systems in the community. The infrastructure improvements must be needed, affordable and merge with the environment – not harm it. Improved wastewater services should be more attractive and more permanent that the current mound systems that are the predominant wastewater treatment choice. Working together as a community to get this done will be necessary since costs to repair, replace and manage this very valuable and resource sensitive environment cannot be done individually in many areas. Therefore, a community plan for more than one area in the Township will help define common groupings that could work together and save time and costs equally.
This Community Action Plan Amendment establishes the criteria for prioritizing the areas where wastewater services should first be considered. These criteria include:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Areas within Kabetogama Township were rated based on the criteria established by the Township. The criteria were developed to identify potential locations where wastewater treatment needs exist and problems may arise. Existing rules and ordinances establish the minimum standards for onsite wastewater systems.
There are important definitions in State and County rules and ordinances that apply to individual sewage treatment systems. These definitions impact the compliance of existing systems that in turn defines the need for upgrading wastewater systems in Kabetogama Township. Below are the State and County definitions.
Minnesota Rule 7080, for onsite wastewater systems, provided definition for sewage treatment systems that are considered “failing” and for those that are considered an “imminent threat to public health or safety”. Definitions for these terms are as follows:
“Failed System” means a seepage pit, cesspool, drywell, leaching pit, other pit, a tank that obviously leaks below the designated operating depth, or any system with less than the required vertical separation as described in 7080.0060, subpart 3.
“Imminent threat to public health and safety” means situations with the potential to immediately and adversely affect or threaten public health or safety. At a minimum, this includes ground and surface water discharges and sewage backup into dwelling or other establishments.
St. Louis County adopted their Individual Treatment Systems Ordinance 55 effective August 1, 2000 (ISTS Ord. 55). The ISTS Ord. 55 governs treatment systems constructed in the townships and unincorporated areas of St. Louis County. In addition, a point of sale provision applies to property transfers. Important definitions are as follows:
“Imminent threat to public health” means situations where the system is discharging to the ground surface, backing up into the structure, or presents any other situation that prohibits system function. This situation must be abated in 10 days and a new system installed in 60 days unless weather conditions prohibit. In such case the administrator may issue a provisional permit for a holding tank or other method of temporary abatement for as period not to exceed 150 days.
“Non-conformity” means any existing soil treatment system that has less than the equivalent of three feet but more than one foot of vertical separation between the bottom of the distribution media and saturated soil level or bedrock in shoreland areas or two feet in non-shoreland areas; any system that discharges sewage to a seepage pit, dry well, or leaching pit; or individual sewage treatment systems in use that are undersized relative to occupancy. The system may be used until the property use is expanded or the system fails.
“Definitional Failure” means that the system has less than 1 foot of vertical separation but is not discharging to the surface. The system must be corrected within 2 years
Also consulted in the criteria development was the Kabetogama Township Community Action Plan, the St Louis County shoreline zoning ordinance.
METHODOLOGY
An initial set of criteria for wastewater were presented to the Kabetogama Town Board on April 19, 2004. To determine densities aerial photos of the area were consulted. Soils maps, floodplain maps and existing zoning maps were reviewed for environmental suitability.
Wastewater Criteria
After consideration of the needs, natural resources and environmental considerations, the following criteria were established for wastewater prioritization:
RESULTS The results of the criteria ranking for wastewater are shown in Exhibit 1. There were 8 areas in the Township that were ranked as shown on Map C1 Wastewater. They were named as follows:
Area Name
Ranking
Areas that have the highest score have the greatest need for infrastructure services. Data available for ISTS systems not in compliance was available form the St. Louis County ISTS database. There is no data indicating that variances have been granted. If failed ISTS systems were discovered the ranking of the sites would change.
RECOMMENDATIONS The priority ranking of areas for potential wastewater services should be used as a guide. If the opportunity for infrastructure development occurs in an area of lesser priority it does not mean that it should not be pursued. Further, by adopting this priority it does not mean that wastewater services will necessarily follow. This is a guide for the Town of Kabetogama to consider infrastructure improvements on a priority basis. Further, if an area is proposed for infrastructure improvements it is not inferred that all properties within the improvement area will be services by the improvement. These decisions will be made based on factors beyond this Community Action Plan Amendment.
For wastewater, the existing infrastructure which consists of individual treatment systems should be managed in a manner that protects the public health and promotes the longevity of the system. As the existing systems reach their useful life, the need for connection to or creation of community systems will become a higher priority.
EXHIBITS Exhibit 1 is the ranking sheet for wastewater. The total scores are reflective of the need and priority for future consideration by the Township. No weighting was placed on the criteria. Future actions by the Township may consider weighting the criteria to meet opportunities that may arise for infrastructure development and improvement.
Site Map C1 Wastewater shows the location of the sites that were ranked and their ranking is color coded to numerical ranking in Exhibit 1.
Several maps and documents were utilized in the development of the rankings that are not produced herein. These maps and documents are on file at the Kabetogama Town Hall. They include:
RESULTS The results of the criteria ranking for wastewater are shown in Exhibit 1. There were 8 areas in the Township that were ranked as shown on Map C1 Wastewater. They were named as follows:
Area Name
Ranking
Areas that have the highest score have the greatest need for infrastructure services. Data available for ISTS systems not in compliance was available form the St. Louis County ISTS database. There is no data indicating that variances have been granted. If failed ISTS systems were discovered the ranking of the sites would change.
RECOMMENDATIONS The priority ranking of areas for potential wastewater services should be used as a guide. If the opportunity for infrastructure development occurs in an area of lesser priority it does not mean that it should not be pursued. Further, by adopting this priority it does not mean that wastewater services will necessarily follow. This is a guide for the Town of Kabetogama to consider infrastructure improvements on a priority basis. Further, if an area is proposed for infrastructure improvements it is not inferred that all properties within the improvement area will be services by the improvement. These decisions will be made based on factors beyond this Community Action Plan Amendment.
For wastewater, the existing infrastructure which consists of individual treatment systems should be managed in a manner that protects the public health and promotes the longevity of the system. As the existing systems reach their useful life, the need for connection to or creation of community systems will become a higher priority.
EXHIBITS Exhibit 1 is the ranking sheet for wastewater. The total scores are reflective of the need and priority for future consideration by the Township. No weighting was placed on the criteria. Future actions by the Township may consider weighting the criteria to meet opportunities that may arise for infrastructure development and improvement.
Site Map C1 Wastewater shows the location of the sites that were ranked and their ranking is color coded to numerical ranking in Exhibit 1.
Several maps and documents were utilized in the development of the rankings that are not produced herein. These maps and documents are on file at the Kabetogama Town Hall. They include:
Kabetogama Township is the gateway to the Voyageurs National Park. One is taken back in time the moment of your arrival in this beautiful land of smooth worn rocks and clean clear lakes. This peaceful lake county has its origins in great, natural disturbances. Huge sheets of glacial ice from the north overrode this area. As they passed through, the glaciers scraped and plowed the earth beneath their crushing weight leaving a beautiful smooth rocked landscape.
It is believed that the area resembled the hill country of Kentucky and Tennessee as they are today. There were numerous streams with very few lakes. As the climate slowly became cooler and drier, forests of spruce and other conifers appeared, sea levels dropped, and land that had been originally submerged formed over bridges, which many new animals to this part of the world immigrated from Europe, and Asia. Man did not leave any record of his existence at that time.
The geology of the National Park area is mainly granite, biotite schist, and migmatite (a rock consisting of inter-layered granite and biotite schist on various scales). The exception is the northwest corner of Rainy Lake, where a major volcanic-sedimentary (greenstone) belt projects in from Ontario. All of these rocks are early Pre-Cambrian. According to many geologists, some are 2.7 billion years old. As the glacier receded, ice was caught in the debris. As it thawed, it made the now known kettle lakes that dot the area. Other lakes formed in the natural depressions or as the glacier carved out basins in the bedrock.
The climate warmed, the ground thawed and lichens, mosses, ferns and forest returned to cover the barren landscape. As generations of these plants lived and died, they helped to build a thin mantle of soil. Today you see smooth, polished and grooved rock surfaces on numerous islands which are the tops of rocky crags the ice failed to remove. This is what creates the beauty of the area.[1]
In the 1970s Congress created the Voyageurs National Park and the peaceful lake country we know today. In 2000, Kabetogama Township, St. Louis County, was established and a Town Board of Supervisors was elected. Their stated goals are to protect the health, safety and welfare of the small emerging community of Kabetogama. The primary purpose for forming the Township government and the Community Action Plan was to allow the community to play a larger role in fulfilling its needs, providing a common voice in order to participate in a broader debate on issues and policy development on matters that impact the community. In December, 2002, Kabetogama finalized and adopted this Community Action Plan with the Land Use and a Wastewater Committee group of citizens interested in protecting the environment. This Plan identified protecting the environment and wastewater as basic issues and concerns to pursue.
In 2003 Kabetogama Township merged the Land Use and Wastewater Committee groups and they were charged with developing a plan for wastewater improvements on Kabetogama Lake. The Township Board desires to assess the long-term solutions to improving the community’s wastewater infrastructure. The method of identifying the needs and priorities for wastewater improvement is through an amendment to the Kabetogama Township Community Action Plan dated December 2002.
Currently the reliance on onsite wastewater systems represents a major impediment for business and development especially when the respect for natural resources is paramount. The focus of this amendment is to identify the priority for establishing economically viable and environmentally sound approaches to the establishment of wastewater systems in the community. The infrastructure improvements must be needed, affordable and merge with the environment – not harm it. Improved wastewater services should be more attractive and more permanent that the current mound systems that are the predominant wastewater treatment choice. Working together as a community to get this done will be necessary since costs to repair, replace and manage this very valuable and resource sensitive environment cannot be done individually in many areas. Therefore, a community plan for more than one area in the Township will help define common groupings that could work together and save time and costs equally.
This Community Action Plan Amendment establishes the criteria for prioritizing the areas where wastewater services should first be considered. These criteria include:
- Existing and future development areas
- Natural resources (lakeshore, soils, geology, wetlands and floodplain)
- Environmental criteria
- Blending and working in harmony with the present ecological environment.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Areas within Kabetogama Township were rated based on the criteria established by the Township. The criteria were developed to identify potential locations where wastewater treatment needs exist and problems may arise. Existing rules and ordinances establish the minimum standards for onsite wastewater systems.
There are important definitions in State and County rules and ordinances that apply to individual sewage treatment systems. These definitions impact the compliance of existing systems that in turn defines the need for upgrading wastewater systems in Kabetogama Township. Below are the State and County definitions.
Minnesota Rule 7080, for onsite wastewater systems, provided definition for sewage treatment systems that are considered “failing” and for those that are considered an “imminent threat to public health or safety”. Definitions for these terms are as follows:
“Failed System” means a seepage pit, cesspool, drywell, leaching pit, other pit, a tank that obviously leaks below the designated operating depth, or any system with less than the required vertical separation as described in 7080.0060, subpart 3.
“Imminent threat to public health and safety” means situations with the potential to immediately and adversely affect or threaten public health or safety. At a minimum, this includes ground and surface water discharges and sewage backup into dwelling or other establishments.
St. Louis County adopted their Individual Treatment Systems Ordinance 55 effective August 1, 2000 (ISTS Ord. 55). The ISTS Ord. 55 governs treatment systems constructed in the townships and unincorporated areas of St. Louis County. In addition, a point of sale provision applies to property transfers. Important definitions are as follows:
“Imminent threat to public health” means situations where the system is discharging to the ground surface, backing up into the structure, or presents any other situation that prohibits system function. This situation must be abated in 10 days and a new system installed in 60 days unless weather conditions prohibit. In such case the administrator may issue a provisional permit for a holding tank or other method of temporary abatement for as period not to exceed 150 days.
“Non-conformity” means any existing soil treatment system that has less than the equivalent of three feet but more than one foot of vertical separation between the bottom of the distribution media and saturated soil level or bedrock in shoreland areas or two feet in non-shoreland areas; any system that discharges sewage to a seepage pit, dry well, or leaching pit; or individual sewage treatment systems in use that are undersized relative to occupancy. The system may be used until the property use is expanded or the system fails.
“Definitional Failure” means that the system has less than 1 foot of vertical separation but is not discharging to the surface. The system must be corrected within 2 years
Also consulted in the criteria development was the Kabetogama Township Community Action Plan, the St Louis County shoreline zoning ordinance.
METHODOLOGY
An initial set of criteria for wastewater were presented to the Kabetogama Town Board on April 19, 2004. To determine densities aerial photos of the area were consulted. Soils maps, floodplain maps and existing zoning maps were reviewed for environmental suitability.
Wastewater Criteria
After consideration of the needs, natural resources and environmental considerations, the following criteria were established for wastewater prioritization:
- Residential and commercial developments where lots have less than an average of 100 feet wide or where other nonconformance with zoning requirements is known.
- Groupings of buildings (commercial and residential) of at least ten (10) units.
- Residential and commercial development in the shoreline zone (1000 feet).
- Existing and potential development areas adjacent to roads considered by St. Louis County as “Major Collectors”.
- Developments where the St. Louis County Soil Survey indicate the presence of poor soils for wastewater systems. (currently no data is available)
- Areas where wetlands or floodplains will impact future development.
- Bedrock rock topography which hinders proper wastewater treatment.
- Wastewater systems that are in noncompliance (based on St. Louis County records) or where wastewater systems variances have been granted (no variances were found).
KABETOGAMA TOWNSHIP
Kabetogama Township is the gateway to the Voyageurs National Park. One is taken back in time the moment of your arrival in this beautiful land of smooth worn rocks and clean clear lakes. This peaceful lake county has its origins in great, natural disturbances. Huge sheets of glacial ice from the north overrode this area. As they passed through, the glaciers scraped and plowed the earth beneath their crushing weight leaving a beautiful smooth rocked landscape.
It is believed that the area resembled the hill country of Kentucky and Tennessee as they are today. There were numerous streams with very few lakes. As the climate slowly became cooler and drier, forests of spruce and other conifers appeared, sea levels dropped, and land that had been originally submerged formed over bridges, which many new animals to this part of the world immigrated from Europe, and Asia. Man did not leave any record of his existence at that time.
The geology of the National Park area is mainly granite, biotite schist, and migmatite (a rock consisting of inter-layered granite and biotite schist on various scales). The exception is the northwest corner of Rainy Lake, where a major volcanic-sedimentary (greenstone) belt projects in from Ontario. All of these rocks are early Pre-Cambrian. According to many geologists, some are 2.7 billion years old. As the glacier receded, ice was caught in the debris. As it thawed, it made the now known kettle lakes that dot the area. Other lakes formed in the natural depressions or as the glacier carved out basins in the bedrock.
The climate warmed, the ground thawed and lichens, mosses, ferns and forest returned to cover the barren landscape. As generations of these plants lived and died, they helped to build a thin mantle of soil. Today you see smooth, polished and grooved rock surfaces on numerous islands which are the tops of rocky crags the ice failed to remove. This is what creates the beauty of the area.[1]
In the 1970s Congress created the Voyageurs National Park and the peaceful lake country we know today. In 2000, Kabetogama Township, St. Louis County, was established and a Town Board of Supervisors was elected. Their stated goals are to protect the health, safety and welfare of the small emerging community of Kabetogama. The primary purpose for forming the Township government and the Community Action Plan was to allow the community to play a larger role in fulfilling its needs, providing a common voice in order to participate in a broader debate on issues and policy development on matters that impact the community. In December, 2002, Kabetogama finalized and adopted this Community Action Plan with the Land Use and a Wastewater Committee group of citizens interested in protecting the environment. This Plan identified protecting the environment and wastewater as basic issues and concerns to pursue.
In 2003 Kabetogama Township merged the Land Use and Wastewater Committee groups and they were charged with developing a plan for wastewater improvements on Kabetogama Lake. The Township Board desires to assess the long-term solutions to improving the community’s wastewater infrastructure. The method of identifying the needs and priorities for wastewater improvement is through an amendment to the Kabetogama Township Community Action Plan dated December 2002.
Currently the reliance on onsite wastewater systems represents a major impediment for business and development especially when the respect for natural resources is paramount. The focus of this amendment is to identify the priority for establishing economically viable and environmentally sound approaches to the establishment of wastewater systems in the community. The infrastructure improvements must be needed, affordable and merge with the environment – not harm it. Improved wastewater services should be more attractive and more permanent that the current mound systems that are the predominant wastewater treatment choice. Working together as a community to get this done will be necessary since costs to repair, replace and manage this very valuable and resource sensitive environment cannot be done individually in many areas. Therefore, a community plan for more than one area in the Township will help define common groupings that could work together and save time and costs equally.
This Community Action Plan Amendment establishes the criteria for prioritizing the areas where wastewater services should first be considered. These criteria include:
- Existing and future development areas
- Natural resources (lakeshore, soils, geology, wetlands and floodplain)
- Environmental criteria
- Blending and working in harmony with the present ecological environment.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Areas within Kabetogama Township were rated based on the criteria established by the Township. The criteria were developed to identify potential locations where wastewater treatment needs exist and problems may arise. Existing rules and ordinances establish the minimum standards for onsite wastewater systems.
There are important definitions in State and County rules and ordinances that apply to individual sewage treatment systems. These definitions impact the compliance of existing systems that in turn defines the need for upgrading wastewater systems in Kabetogama Township. Below are the State and County definitions.
Minnesota Rule 7080, for onsite wastewater systems, provided definition for sewage treatment systems that are considered “failing” and for those that are considered an “imminent threat to public health or safety”. Definitions for these terms are as follows:
“Failed System” means a seepage pit, cesspool, drywell, leaching pit, other pit, a tank that obviously leaks below the designated operating depth, or any system with less than the required vertical separation as described in 7080.0060, subpart 3.
“Imminent threat to public health and safety” means situations with the potential to immediately and adversely affect or threaten public health or safety. At a minimum, this includes ground and surface water discharges and sewage backup into dwelling or other establishments.
St. Louis County adopted their Individual Treatment Systems Ordinance 55 effective August 1, 2000 (ISTS Ord. 55). The ISTS Ord. 55 governs treatment systems constructed in the townships and unincorporated areas of St. Louis County. In addition, a point of sale provision applies to property transfers. Important definitions are as follows:
“Imminent threat to public health” means situations where the system is discharging to the ground surface, backing up into the structure, or presents any other situation that prohibits system function. This situation must be abated in 10 days and a new system installed in 60 days unless weather conditions prohibit. In such case the administrator may issue a provisional permit for a holding tank or other method of temporary abatement for as period not to exceed 150 days.
“Non-conformity” means any existing soil treatment system that has less than the equivalent of three feet but more than one foot of vertical separation between the bottom of the distribution media and saturated soil level or bedrock in shoreland areas or two feet in non-shoreland areas; any system that discharges sewage to a seepage pit, dry well, or leaching pit; or individual sewage treatment systems in use that are undersized relative to occupancy. The system may be used until the property use is expanded or the system fails.
“Definitional Failure” means that the system has less than 1 foot of vertical separation but is not discharging to the surface. The system must be corrected within 2 years
Also consulted in the criteria development was the Kabetogama Township Community Action Plan, the St Louis County shoreline zoning ordinance.
METHODOLOGY
An initial set of criteria for wastewater were presented to the Kabetogama Town Board on April 19, 2004. To determine densities aerial photos of the area were consulted. Soils maps, floodplain maps and existing zoning maps were reviewed for environmental suitability.
Wastewater Criteria
After consideration of the needs, natural resources and environmental considerations, the following criteria were established for wastewater prioritization:
- Residential and commercial developments where lots have less than an average of 100 feet wide or where other nonconformance with zoning requirements is known.
- Groupings of buildings (commercial and residential) of at least ten (10) units.
- Residential and commercial development in the shoreline zone (1000 feet).
- Existing and potential development areas adjacent to roads considered by St. Louis County as “Major Collectors”.
- Developments where the St. Louis County Soil Survey indicate the presence of poor soils for wastewater systems. (currently no data is available)
- Areas where wetlands or floodplains will impact future development.
- Bedrock rock topography which hinders proper wastewater treatment.
- Wastewater systems that are in noncompliance (based on St. Louis County records) or where wastewater systems variances have been granted (no variances were found).
RESULTS The results of the criteria ranking for wastewater are shown in Exhibit 1. There were 8 areas in the Township that were ranked as shown on Map C1 Wastewater. They were named as follows:
Area Name
Ranking
- North Kab - Lost Acres, Harris Beach, Ness Road
- Puck’s Point
- State Point
- Northern Lights
- North 123 - Gappa Road
- Burma Road
- East 123 - Gappa Road (off lake)
- N123 and N122 - (off lake)
Areas that have the highest score have the greatest need for infrastructure services. Data available for ISTS systems not in compliance was available form the St. Louis County ISTS database. There is no data indicating that variances have been granted. If failed ISTS systems were discovered the ranking of the sites would change.
RECOMMENDATIONS The priority ranking of areas for potential wastewater services should be used as a guide. If the opportunity for infrastructure development occurs in an area of lesser priority it does not mean that it should not be pursued. Further, by adopting this priority it does not mean that wastewater services will necessarily follow. This is a guide for the Town of Kabetogama to consider infrastructure improvements on a priority basis. Further, if an area is proposed for infrastructure improvements it is not inferred that all properties within the improvement area will be services by the improvement. These decisions will be made based on factors beyond this Community Action Plan Amendment.
For wastewater, the existing infrastructure which consists of individual treatment systems should be managed in a manner that protects the public health and promotes the longevity of the system. As the existing systems reach their useful life, the need for connection to or creation of community systems will become a higher priority.
EXHIBITS Exhibit 1 is the ranking sheet for wastewater. The total scores are reflective of the need and priority for future consideration by the Township. No weighting was placed on the criteria. Future actions by the Township may consider weighting the criteria to meet opportunities that may arise for infrastructure development and improvement.
Site Map C1 Wastewater shows the location of the sites that were ranked and their ranking is color coded to numerical ranking in Exhibit 1.
Several maps and documents were utilized in the development of the rankings that are not produced herein. These maps and documents are on file at the Kabetogama Town Hall. They include:
- Kabetogama Community Action Plan, December 2002
- Aerial Photos dated 9/23/1997
- Lake Kabetogama Lake Map, B-0208, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
- Topographic Map, Kabetogama 69-21, St. Louis County, Provided by USGS
- National Park Service Brochure: Voyageurs (Geology)
- Preliminary Soil description by the US Department of Agriculture
- The St. Louis County Zoning Map effective December 19, 1995 titled Kabetogama 69-21
- St. Louis County Wetland and Watershed Boundary Map dated June 1, 1999.
- Federal Emergency Management Agency, Flood Insurance Rate Map, Community Panel Number 270416 0075 C, dated February 19, 1992
- The Town of Kabetogama Plat Directory dated 4/01/04
- The St. Louis County 2002 Plat Book.
RESULTS The results of the criteria ranking for wastewater are shown in Exhibit 1. There were 8 areas in the Township that were ranked as shown on Map C1 Wastewater. They were named as follows:
Area Name
Ranking
- North Kab - Lost Acres, Harris Beach, Ness Road
- Puck’s Point
- State Point
- Northern Lights
- North 123 - Gappa Road
- Burma Road
- East 123 - Gappa Road (off lake)
- N123 and N122 - (off lake)
Areas that have the highest score have the greatest need for infrastructure services. Data available for ISTS systems not in compliance was available form the St. Louis County ISTS database. There is no data indicating that variances have been granted. If failed ISTS systems were discovered the ranking of the sites would change.
RECOMMENDATIONS The priority ranking of areas for potential wastewater services should be used as a guide. If the opportunity for infrastructure development occurs in an area of lesser priority it does not mean that it should not be pursued. Further, by adopting this priority it does not mean that wastewater services will necessarily follow. This is a guide for the Town of Kabetogama to consider infrastructure improvements on a priority basis. Further, if an area is proposed for infrastructure improvements it is not inferred that all properties within the improvement area will be services by the improvement. These decisions will be made based on factors beyond this Community Action Plan Amendment.
For wastewater, the existing infrastructure which consists of individual treatment systems should be managed in a manner that protects the public health and promotes the longevity of the system. As the existing systems reach their useful life, the need for connection to or creation of community systems will become a higher priority.
EXHIBITS Exhibit 1 is the ranking sheet for wastewater. The total scores are reflective of the need and priority for future consideration by the Township. No weighting was placed on the criteria. Future actions by the Township may consider weighting the criteria to meet opportunities that may arise for infrastructure development and improvement.
Site Map C1 Wastewater shows the location of the sites that were ranked and their ranking is color coded to numerical ranking in Exhibit 1.
Several maps and documents were utilized in the development of the rankings that are not produced herein. These maps and documents are on file at the Kabetogama Town Hall. They include:
- Kabetogama Community Action Plan, December 2002
- Aerial Photos dated 9/23/1997
- Lake Kabetogama Lake Map, B-0208, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
- Topographic Map, Kabetogama 69-21, St. Louis County, Provided by USGS
- National Park Service Brochure: Voyageurs (Geology)
- Preliminary Soil description by the US Department of Agriculture
- The St. Louis County Zoning Map effective December 19, 1995 titled Kabetogama 69-21
- St. Louis County Wetland and Watershed Boundary Map dated June 1, 1999.
- Federal Emergency Management Agency, Flood Insurance Rate Map, Community Panel Number 270416 0075 C, dated February 19, 1992
- The Town of Kabetogama Plat Directory dated 4/01/04
- The St. Louis County 2002 Plat Book.
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