SERVICE
INFORMATION
OPERATIONS
The district operates and maintains a wastewater collection system that serves all of the residents of the district. To accomplish this, the district maintains seventeen lift stations circling Cross Lake which pump the wastewater to the City of Pine City for treatment at the facility known as “The Ponds.” Once the wastewater is treated and free of waste, it is eventually discharged into the Snake River. The quality of the discharged water is carefully monitored, and samples are taken and sent to the Minnesota Department of Health for testing.
The district maintains a contract with Pine City for the treatment of the wastewater and is billed a fee based on the flow rate of wastewater into the ponds. The flow rate is determined by 2 metered lift stations which determine the total flow, in gallons, that the district pumps into the ponds. In addition, the district is responsible for any major maintenance or improvements, at the ponds, based on our proportionate share of the total flow.
It's worth noting here that the district is charged by the city for all of the water that is pumped into the ponds. That is the reason the district prohibits the connection of sump pumps to any drain that empties into the sewer system. Doing so increases our costs, which, in turn, are passed onto our customers. Sump pumps should “drain to daylight,” which means they should empty outside of your home and not into the system. Violations are subject to significant fines.
MAINTENANCE
Maintaining our system is a huge undertaking. Maintaining each of the 17 lift stations, each requiring 2 pumps, an automated alert system in case of failure, plus all of the associated floats and electronics, multiple manholes and miles of pipe is no easy task. All the work of maintaining the system falls on LJJ Wastewater Services, our contracted maintenance provider. In addition to the daily maintenance and inspection, the district system maintains a 4-year cleaning cycle. What that means is each year 25% of the system (which includes all the miles of sewer pipe) is inspected by camera and cleaned if necessary. In addition, 25% of the manholes are inspected, drained and cleaned if necessary.
BILLING
Customers are invoiced on or about the 15th of the month following the quarter. i.e. first quarter billing (for January, February, & March) will be mailed out on or about the 15th of April. A $10.00 late fee is added if the account is carried over to the next billing cycle. If payment is not received for 3 consecutive billing cycles, a progressive penalty starting at $250.00 is added to the amount due and the account is certified to Pine County for inclusion on the property owner’s property tax.
The sewer jet / vacuum truck is a specialized piece of equipment that is used to clean the system’s main sewer lines. Each year twenty-five percent of the system is inspected by camera and cleaned. The high-pressure hose, seen on the front of the truck, is “snaked” thru a section of sewer line and water is pumped thru the line to a specialized nozzle at 3,000 psi which forces everything into a manhole. The large diameter hose, on the boom, is then used to vacuum out the contents of the manhole.
The district maintains two trailer mounted generators that can be connected to a lift station, to maintain operation, in case of a power failure. The generators are rated at 30kw at 1800 RPM.
The district is currently purchasing two additional generators that will be permanently connected to our two primary lift stations and will begin operating this spring. They will start automatically in case of a power failure.
CONTRACTORS
The district maintains a list of “preferred contractors.” These contractors are familiar with our system and our requirements. Although you are not required to use one of the preferred contractors, it is recommended. Should the homeowner elect to use the services of an outside contractor, CLAWSSD Resolution 2019-03 (available on this website) requires “a representative of the contractor to appear at a regularly scheduled meeting of the board to discuss what work will be performed and how it will be accomplished.” In addition, the contractor must submit a copy of their current Certificate of Liability Insurance prior to beginning any work.
*The district has added approved contractors that are not listed in Resolution 2019-03.