Inspection ordered for Waconia center's septic system

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency made the order after examining records on the Waconia ballroom.

By HERÓN MÁRQUEZ ESTRADA, Star Tribune

Last update: October 15, 2009 - 9:50 AM

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Upon further review, it turns out the controversial septic system at Carver County's Waconia ballroom might not be in compliance after all.

That's the word from the state after it examined the county's files on the septic system at the request of a county commissioner.

Carver County bought the ballroom last year for $2.5 million, and for more than a year county officials have steadfastly maintained that the decades-old septic system at the facility meets all state and federal statutes -- even though the county requires private owners of similar systems to replace theirs.

But this week, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) -- which began an investigation after receiving a complaint from County Commissioner Tom Workman -- sent a letter to the County Board saying the county's evidence of the system's compliance is "inconclusive."

So inconclusive, in fact, that the MPCA wants the county to hire an independent inspector to certify that the septic system is at least 36 inches above the high groundwater mark as required by law.

As a result, the County Board has decided to address the issue at a meeting on Tuesday so it can meet the MPCA's Oct. 28 deadline.

"We want to get to the bottom of this issue," County Board Chairman Gayle Degler said in a statement after receiving the MPCA's findings.

That is a far different position than the board had taken since it purchased the ballroom, which it now calls the Waconia Events Center.

Several times it has shot down requests by Workman that it have an inspector go out to the site to measure the separation between the septic system and the groundwater level. The board has chosen to rely instead on a report from a certified inspector who stated that the system is in full compliance.

Workman and others have pointed out that the inspector who provided the certification is the same person who installed the system decades ago. Also, this same inspector reported finding water at the site last year at a depth of 65 inches, which Workman believes means there is only about 23 inches of separation between the groundwater level and the septic system.

After the MPCA ruling, Workman was cautiously optimistic that an independent inspector will be hired to weigh in on whether the system is legal.

"I got want I wanted," he said, referring to the state's instructions that the system be reinspected. "They certainly didn't say it passed."

Heron Marquez Estrada • 612-673-4280

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