02-11-1981 Additions I - Laserfiche WebLink

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NEWS RELEASE 3/9/81 SEWER TREATMENT OF LAKE WATER TO COST SUBURBS MILLIONS At the request of the City of St. Paul, the Metropolitan Council recently ordered the Metropolitan Waste Control Commission (MWCC) to alter its current fee system and charge several northern Ramsey County suburban communities an extra 1 to 1.7 million dollars next year. These costs are for treating at the Pigs Eye sewage treat- ment plant the clear lake water that flows out of Beaver, Phalen, Como and McCarrons Lakes. This water historically flowed southerly to the Mississippi River, but over the years, St. Paul allowed filling and development along the natural channels, until it was no longer adequate. St. Paul then put the lake overflows into combined sewer pipes. This meant raw sewage was mixed with the lake water and the entire flow taken to the sewage treatment plant. St. Paul also put its own storm water collection facilities into the combined sewers. Such com- bined flows resulted in volumes which were too large for the plant to handle and the sewage was, therefore, bypassed directly into the river, whenever large rainfalls occurred. The suburbs, on the other hand, all spent the necessary funds to construct one sewer system for sanitary sewers and a separate sewer system for storm water. These, plus retaining wetlands and ponding areas, provided a proper method of dealing with clear water flows. Other older cities, such as Minneapolis, have taken major agressive actions to separate their combined sewers, rather than ignoring the problems and asking to have their suburbs pay for clear water sewer treatment. St. Paul has known about the MWCC fee system for ten years and has paid millions of dollars in fees, but still left the lake overflows in combined sewers. Even these large annual payments failed to cause St. Paul to separate the sewers. Their staff recent- ly told the Metropolitan Council that they did not even have preli- minary plans prepared for such projects after all these years. Recent statements by the City of St. Paul have incorrectly suggested that the suburbs have not teen willing to discuss this problem. No one from the City of St. Paul has ever contacted Roseville since I have served on the city council (eight years). Only St. Paul has the authority to carry out such separation actions. The suburbs have no power to force St. Paul to act. It is obvious that if St. Paul would not separate the sewers when they paid the charges that they will not do it now, or in the future, with someone else paying the costs. The continuation of the clear water flows to the treatment plant will result in huge cost increases to the entire metro area. The future plant alterations to meet federal water quality standards will see very expensive treatment occurring on the clear water. Also, the practice of bypassing flows directly to the river will bring lawsuits from downstream communities for violation of the standards.