Jefferson German Lakes Septic Inventory Kick-off Meeting

Update:

The Jefferson German Septic Inventory Project is well underway. To date Wenck has received 203 homeowner permission forms to complete a septic system compliance inspection on their property. Wenck has completed 92 of the inspections on West Jefferson, Middle Jefferson, and German Lakes, with results communicated to the homeowner and the County. Additional inspections are currently underway on Middle Jefferson. Work will continue through ground freeze up, and will resume next spring after the ground thaws. Fessel Trucking and James Brothers Excavating have been contracted for septic tank pumping. Septic tank pumping is free to participants in the inventory as part of the inspection process, but is only completed on tanks that require pumping for inspection purposes.  

In addition to field inspections, Wenck will complete an interim findings report for distribution to the County and Lake Association during the winter. A homeowner septic system education class is scheduled for May 2012; more details to come. A reminder letter will be sent to property owners that have not yet chosen to participate in the Project during spring 2012, providing them with another opportunity to participate, should they choose to do so. Blank permission forms are also available, and can be filled out and submitted at any time. Click on the Jefferson German Septic Inventory Project link in the lower right hand corner of the page under “Project Links.” A “complete survey” link is available on the left hand side of the page, as well as periodic updates on the status of the project. Simply click here for the survey, print it, and send it to Wenck to get your property on the inspection list.

Kick-off Meeting:

The kick-off meeting for the project was a great success! The Marysburg Church meeting room was full with about 170 residents. Thank you to everyone for attending and for all the excellent questions and comments. The discussion was good for us to understand the past perceptions and I hope it was good for you to understand what, why, and how we intend to complete the inventory. We have already received over 150 surveys returned and keep seeing more every day. It is not too late, tell your neighbors to get theirs submitted. We plan to start field work the first week in August. If you have additional questions just let us know.

Project Introduction:

Le Sueur County has been awarded a Clean Water Legacy Grant from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources to investigate septic system compliance status for residences in the district. The funds that Le Sueur County has received are grant funds and do not need to be repaid. Le Sueur County completed a competitive request for qualifications process and has selected Wenck Associates, Inc. (Wenck) as the contractor to complete the septic system compliance inspections and produce a report of findings.

The purpose of the project, known as the Jefferson German Lakes Septic Inventory Project, is to determine to what extent a septic system compliance problem exists within the district. Much discussion has occurred in the past about a solution for the district without accurately identifying the problem. The septic system compliance status data will assist in future decision making about possible long term infrastructure options.

The project is open and available to existing homes in the district. The County Board has decided that it will make participation in the project voluntary with the following incentives for participation:

• Septic system compliance inspection valid for three years that can be used for obtaining a building permit or selling your house.
• Septic tank pumping.
• Minor repairs of unsafe tank lids, inspection pipe caps, connections, etc.
• Non-compliant septic systems given up to five years from the end of the project to upgrade versus the current one year.

Contact:

Wenck Associates, Inc. Project Manager:
Peter Miller pmiller@wenck.com #763-479-5121

Homeowner Surveys may be Mail, Fax, or Email to:

Wenck Associates, Inc. C/O Peter Miller
P.O. Box 249 Maple Plain, Minnesota 55359
FAX: #763-479-4242
Email: wenckmp@wenck.com