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The
Equaris system and other new technology could provide an answer
to wastewater treatment problems in smaller communities, some local
officials believe.
While
there are drawbacks, including the cost and required maintenance,
the alternative treatment system might work well in certain situations
such as small lake lots, said Don Adams, Stearns County environmental
services director. Adams will discuss the Equaris system today at
the Stearns County board meeting.
“Because
this is such an unusual kind of system. We just want to bring it
to the board’s attention,” he said.
The system
could work well in lakeshore developments, Adams said, although
there would need to be enough land available to build a conventional
system if the Equaris one fails, he said. “These new technologies
are really kind of interesting and intriguing, because they do give
us some additional development options,” Adams said.
While
Stearns County has been involved in some alternative wastewater
treatment projects, including a successful constructed wetland system
in Spring Hill, there hasn’t been an Equaris system tried in
the county yet, Adams said.
The price
tag of the Equaris system — anywhere from $8,000 to $17,800
— may scare some people, he said.
“This
one has not been real attractive for a lot of people because of
the cost,” he said. The Equaris system also may require more
maintenance and
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attention than a traditional system, Adams said. Maple Lake Township
in Wright County is considering the Equaris system to solve sewer
problems in an older development on Ramsey Lake, said Dick Hogan,
township clerk.
The lake
lots are small and there’s no room for another kind of septic
system, Hogan said. There is sewer seepage into the lake, he said.
After
an earlier proposal by the township to build an experimental central
sewer system was rejected by the MPCA, the township started talks
with the city of Maple Lake about annexing the development and providing
city sewer services, Hogan said. But Equaris could provide an alternative,
he said.
Kay Cook,
president of the Sauk River Chain of Lakes Association, said the
Equaris system has been considered for the Chain of Lakes area.
But the cost is prohibitive for such a densely populated area, she
said.
Instead
the lake association, which represents 15 lakes, along with the
Sauk River Watershed District have explored a centralized sewer
system that would cost homeowners between $12,000 and $13,000, Cook
said. That plan also has met resistance.
Although
the Equaris system could be beneficial in improving pollution problems
in area lakes, many people aren’t aware of the new technology
and aren’t told of it by septic system experts, Cook said.
“People
don’t even realize that it’s out there sometimes as an
option,” she said.
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