INFORMATION CENTER
HISTORY
The Cross Lake Area Water and Sanitary Sewer District (CLAWSSD) was established for the towns of Pokegama, Chengwatana and Pine City in Pine County by the Minnesota Legislature in 1994. It is under the control and management of the Cross Lake area water and sanitary sewer board. The board is established as a public corporation and political subdivision of the State of Minnesota with perpetual succession and all the rights, powers, privileges, immunities, and duties that may be validly granted to or imposed upon a municipal corporation, as provided in the article.
The “district” is defined in Chapter 587, Article 10 of the Laws of Minnesota for 1994 as “the area over which the Cross Lake area water and sanitary sewer board has jurisdiction, including the towns of Pokegama, Chengwatana and Pine City in Pine County, but only that part within 1,000 feet of the high waterline of Cross Lake in those townships.”
BOARD MEETINGS
Board meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every other month starting in January. The meetings are held at 4:30 PM in the Pine City Public Library Conference Room.
SERVICES AND COST
The district, as of January 1st, 2025, provides service for 542 residential customers and 1 commercial customer. Currently, the district charges $165.00 per quarter for each residential customer. Our customer’s commercial account is metered and adjusted accordingly. We occasionally receive calls from “seasonal” residential customers asking about metering accounts. Especially seasonal accounts when the residence is only utilized on other than a full-time basis. Unfortunately, that is not feasible given the number of accounts. The cost of installing residential meters and hiring staff to read them once a quarter is too cost prohibitive.
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APPLICATION PROCESS FOR NEW ACCOUNTS
If you are new to the area and are planning to build a home within the district, you should contact the district office. When the district was created by the state legislature in 1994, a sewer access charge (SAC) was charged to each homeowner. Sewer lines were also run into each vacant lot unless the lot owner declined the service. The SAC, at that time, was $4,500.00 and paid as a special assessment on the property taxes, over 20 years. Currently, the SAC is $8,200. If it can be determined that a sewer line was initially run into a lot, that SAC fee is waived since it has been paid by the lot owner. The SAC fee, if required, is due at the time of sewer hookup. Pine County will no longer collect the SAC as a special assessment.
Also, on all new builds, an Application for Sewer Service Connection is required. This must be obtained prior to installation. A permit application fee (currently $235.00) is due with the application. The application fee covers the inspection of the installation, air pressure test and photos of the new line prior to the line being covered.
If you are adding a connection to an existing line, i.e., bathroom in a detached garage or shed, this is allowed IF the additional connection is on the same property (same PID) and is owned by the same individual.
An application, and Resolution 2019-02 and Resolution 2022-01, governing the requirements for installation of all new connections, modifications of existing connections and use of abandoned lines, as well as inspection criteria can be found on this website.​
These pictures show two of the district’s seventeen lift stations. Note the power connections on the right side of each lift station. This is where one of the trailer mounted generators can be connected in case of a power failure.