1pollute25
StarTribune.com content is available via e-mail, mobile devices and as RSS feeds.
Straight-pipe communities in Minnesota
Many small communities in Minnesota flush untreated toilet wastes through illegal straight pipes that end in rivers, lakes, ditches or drain tiles buried in farm fields. A new study by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has identified 99 such places. Some rely on a single straight pipe for multiple homes or businesses, while other places have individual straight pipes from homes. Not all homes or businesses in every community are connected to straight pipes. Eleven counties did not participate in the study and are not included.
| County | Community * | Township | Homes | Businesses | Straight pipe ** | Receiving body | Fixing it? *** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aitkin | Jacobson | Ball Bluff | 21 | 5 | Individual | Mississippi River | |
| Aitkin | Lawler | Salo | 25 | 4 | Individual | Wakefied Brook to Rice Lake | |
| Aitkin | Swatara | MacVille | 30 | 3 | Individual | Ditch to Moose River | |
| Brown | Essig | Milford | 20 | 3 | Community | Unknown | In Progress |
| Brown | Iberia | Stark | 6 | 0 | Individual | Unknown | |
| Chippewa | Gluek | Crate | 4 | 1 | Individual | Unknown | |
| Chippewa | Hagen/Big Bend | Big Bend | 20 | 0 | Individual | Chippewa River | |
| Chippewa | Wegdahl | Sparta East | 10 | 0 | Individual | Minnesota River | |
| Cottonwood | Double Lake | Westbrook | 5 | 0 | Individual | Double Lake | |
| Dodge | Wasioja -Original Plat | Wasioja | 56 | 1 | Individual | Unknown | |
| Faribault | Brush Creek | Brush Creek | 10 | 0 | Individual | County Ditch | |
| Faribault | Guckeen | Jo Daviess | 27 | 5 | Individual | County Ditch | In Progress |
| Faribault | Huntley | Verona | 50 | 10 | Individual | Center Creek | |
| Faribault | Pilot Grove | Pilot Grove | 10 | 0 | Individual | Badger Creek | |
| Faribault | Walters | Foster | 41 | 4 | Community | Ditch to E Fork of BE River | In Progress |
| Freeborn | Manchester | Manchester | 29 | 12 | Community | Surface Water | In Progress |
| Freeborn | Myrtle | Shell Rock | 36 | 7 | Community | Surface Water | In Progress |
| Jackson | Bergen | Christiania | 8 | 2 | Individual | Elm Creek | |
| Jackson | Jackson (Not Connected to City) | Des Moines | 66 | 12 | Individual | Des Moines River | |
| Jackson | Petersburg | Petersburg | 8 | 2 | Individual | Des Moines River | |
| Jackson | Wilder | Delafield | 31 | 0 | Individual | Unknown | |
| Kandiyohi | Blomkest | Roseland | 72 | 0 | Community | Hawk Creek | In Progress |
| Kandiyohi | Roseland | Roseland | 40 | 0 | Community | Hawk Creek | In Progress |
| Kandiyohi | Svea | Whitefield | 50 | 0 | Community | Hawk Creek | In Progress |
| Koochiching | Rainy Lake East | Unnamed | 250 | 5 | Individual | Rainy Lake | In Progress |
| Lake | Flood Bay to Silver Cliff | Silver Creek | 109 | 2 | Community | Lake Superior | |
| Lincoln | Wilno Subdistrict | Royal | 15 | 1 | Individual | Yellow Medicine River | |
| Martin | Village of Wilbert | 4 | 0 | Individual | |||
| McLeod | Biscay | Hassan Valley | 46 | 2 | Community | South Fork Crow River | |
| Meeker | Forest City | Forest Township | 25 | 1 | Individual | Crow River | In Progress |
| Meeker | Kingston | Kingston South | 40 | 0 | Individual | Crow River | In Progress |
| Meeker | Mannannah | Mannannah | 25 | 1 | Individual | Crow River | |
| Mower | Andyville | Lansing | 21 | 1 | Community | County Ditch | |
| Mower | Cedar Dale | Lansing | 14 | 0 | Community | Cedar River | |
| Mower | Nicolville | Red Rock | 16 | 1 | Community | Dobbins Creek | In Progress |
| Mower | Woodhaven | Lansing | 65 | 0 | Individual | Cedar River | In Progress |
| Murray | Hadley | Leeds | 41 | 2 | Community | Tile Line | In Progress |
| Murray | Lime Creek | Belfast | 9 | 1 | Community | Tile Line | In Progress |
| Nobles | Bigelow | Bigelow | 100 | 5 | Community | Otter Creek | In Progress |
| Nobles | Dundee | Graham Lakes | 50 | 5 | Community | Des Moines River | In Progress |
| Nobles | Kinbrae | Graham Lakes | 10 | 1 | Community | Kinbrae Lake | |
| Nobles | Org | Bigelow | 5 | 0 | Individual | County Ditch | |
| Nobles | Reading | Summit Lake | 50 | 3 | Individual | County Ditch Number 5 | |
| Nobles | St. Kilian | Wilmont | 30 | 0 | Individual | Kanaranzi Creek | |
| Pipestone | Pipestone North Subdistrict | Gray | 6 | 0 | Individual | Pipestone Creek | CWLA funds |
| Pipestone | Pipestone South Subdistrict | Sweet | 6 | 0 | Individual | Pipestone Creek | CWLA funds |
| Pipestone | Trosky | Elmer | 46 | 1 | Community, individual | Poplar Creek | CWLA funds |
| Redwood | Sanborn Corner | Charlestown | 6 | 5 | Individual | Tile line to Cottonwood River | |
| Redwood | Seaforth | Sheridan | 34 | 1 | Individual | Redwood River | In Progress |
| Renville | Country Courts | Beaver Falls | 50 | 0 | Community, individual | Minnesota River | |
| Rice | Veseli Village | Wheatland | 40 | 2 | Community | Surface | |
| Rock | Ash Creek | Clinton | 5 | 0 | Individual | Rock River | CWLA funds |
| Rock | Kanaranzi | Kanaranzi | 15 | 1 | Individual | Kanaranzi Creek | CWLA funds |
| Steele | Austin Road | Owatonna | 39 | 1 | Individual | Field tile | |
| Steele | Bixby | Aurora | 46 | 2 | Community, individual | Oak Glen Lake | In Progress |
| Steele | Havana | Havana | 14 | 0 | Individual | Ditch | |
| Steele | Hope | Somerset | 45 | 7 | Community | Straight River | In Progress |
| Steele | Meriden | Meriden | 40 | 2 | Community | Judicial Ditch #1 | In Progress |
| Steele | Pratt | Aurora | 16 | 1 | Individual | Field tile | |
| Swift | Benson North Subdivision | Torning | 15 | 0 | Individual | Unknown | In Progress |
| Swift | De Graff | Kildare | 50 | 3 | Individual | Mud Creek | |
| Swift | Swift Falls | Camp Lake | 30 | 1 | Individual | East Branch Chippewa River | |
| Todd | Beauty | Bruce | 80 | 0 | Individual | Lake Beauty | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Big | Turtle Creek | 80 | 0 | Individual | Big Lake | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Big Birch | Grey Eagle | 300 | 0 | Individual | Big Birch Lake | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Big Swan | Burnhamville | 200 | 2 | Individual | Big Swan Lake | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Burtrum | Burnhamville | 50 | 5 | Individual | Mississippi River Watershed | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Cedar | Little Sauk | 25 | 0 | Individual | Cedar Lake | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Charlotte | Long Prairie | 75 | 2 | Individual | Lake Charlotte | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Fairy | Kandota | 85 | 1 | Individual | Fairy Lake | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Lake Osakis | Gordon | 700 | 20 | Individual | Lake Osakis | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Latimer | Round Prairie | 45 | 0 | Individual | Lake Latimer | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Little Birch | Birchdale | 155 | 0 | Individual | Little Birch Lake | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Little Sauk | Little Sauk | 35 | 0 | Individual | Sauk River Watershed | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Little Swan | Burnhamville | 85 | 0 | Individual | Little Swan Lake | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Long | Burnhamville | 140 | 2 | Individual | Long Lake | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Maple | Little Sauk | 55 | 0 | Individual | Maple Lake | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Mound | Grey Eagle | 120 | 2 | Individual | Mound Lake | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Philbrook | Villard | 35 | 0 | Individual | Long Prairie River | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Pillsbury | Burnhamville | 30 | 0 | Individual | Little Swan Lake | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Pine Island | Turtle Creek | 60 | 0 | Individual | Pine Island Lake | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Round Prairie | Round Prairie | 20 | 1 | Individual | Long Prairie River Watershed | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Sauk | Kandota | 325 | 5 | Individual | Sauk Lake | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Sylvan Shores | Fawn Lake & Moran | 350 | 4 | Individual | Multiple Lakes | CWLA funds |
| Todd | Ward Springs | Birchdale | 20 | 1 | Individual | Little Birch Lake | CWLA funds |
| Todd | West Union | West Union | 50 | 5 | Individual | West Union Lake | CWLA funds |
| Traverse | Lake Traverse | Windsor | 229 | 1 | Individual | Lake Traverse | |
| Waseca | Alma City | Alton | 10 | 0 | Community | Le Sueur River | |
| Waseca | Elk's Park/ Lakeview Rst | Woodville | 10 | 1 | Individual | Clear Lake | |
| Waseca | Matawan | Byron | 20 | 1 | Community | Cobb River | |
| Waseca | Otisco | Otisco | 18 | 1 | Community | Le Sueur River | |
| Waseca | Smiths Mill | Janesville | 16 | 0 | Community | Surface Water | |
| Watonwan | La Salle | Riverdale | 40 | 1 | Community | Minnesota River | In Progress |
| Watonwan | Odin | Odin | 40 | 0 | Community | Watonwan River | In Progress |
| Watonwan | Ormsby | Long Lake | 60 | 1 | Community | Watonwan River | In Progress |
| Wilkin | Kent | McCauleyville | 36 | 3 | Individual | Whiskey Creek | CWLA funds |
| Winona | Marysvale/Spillway | Richmond | 18 | 0 | Community | Surface water | |
| Yellow Medicine | Hazel Run | Hazel Run | 31 | 1 | Individual | Unknown | In Progress |
| Yellow Medicine | Sunset Drive, Canby | Hammer | 8 | 0 | Community | Unknown | |
|
Notes * Community is defined as 5 or more homes, including unincorporated areas in townships or lakeside groups. ** Individual means at least one home in a community has a straight pipe; community means multiple buildings are connected to a straight pipe. Many communities also have other waste water issues, including poor soils that make conventional septic systems unworkable. *** In progress means the community is taking steps to deal with the discharge, including applying for funding; CWLA funds refers to aid under the Clean Water Legacy Act to repair and replace substandard septic systems. Source: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency | View the draft report |
|||||||