CRANE LAKE— A brutal winter in addition to other factors caused an unprecedented number of frozen sewage lines at Crane Lake, creating problems for residents and adding work for the Crane Lake Water and Sanitary District’s maintenance staff.

The Crane Lake Sanitary District utilizes small holding tanks and grinder pumps at each business or residence that’s part of the system. Once wastewater in a holding tank reaches a specified level, the associated grinder pump turns on, grinds the waste into a fine slurry, and pumps it to the treatment plant.

But the intense cold has frozen most of the sewer lines that normally channel the waste to the treatment plant.

That’s forced the sanitary district’s staff to remove waste from the grinder pump tanks manually and haul it to the sewage treatment plant. Rob Scott, who chairs the CLWSD Board said the process will continue until the ground thaws and the frozen line issues are resolved.

This winter, with its deep frost, has caused frozen water lines in several communities including Tower, Orr and Ely. But the sewage lines at Crane Lake were even more vulnerable to freezing.

There were problems with the installation of the grinder pumps, which led the CLSWD Board to bring legal action against RLK Engineering. RLK eventually reached a settlement with the board through arbitration.

But Scott also noted that many of those hooked up to the sewage plant are seasonal residents.

“The longer material sits in the pipes and doesn’t move, the greater the chance it will freeze,” said Scott.

The CLWSD Board tried a test case with one resident, who had previously had freezing issues. She had water running through her line throughout the winter and the constant flow alleviated the freezing, Scott said.

The low-flow issues are also exacerbated by the width of the pipes. “We have four-inch forced mains going to the plant and if we were to replace them with three- or two-inch mains, it would speed up the flow,” Scott said. “But that option may be too costly.”

Another option being considered is putting in more heat tape to prevent freezing of the pipes. Some heat tape was wrapped around pipe that crosses under a bridge and other locations, said Scott.

Yet another option would be to reroute some of the water that is discharged and pump it through the lines to increase flows.

Scott said the CLWSD Board will be looking at a variety of options to prevent future freezing problems, but is unlikely to get any state money to help address the issue. They had approached the governor’s office to help alleviate some of the issues related to the freezing pipes, but came away empty-handed.

Although the bonding bill is expected to include up to $8.75 million for the Voyageurs Clean Waters program, Crane Lake will not be able to use those funds to deal with the pipes. That money is earmarked for construction of new lines and sewage treatment systems.

“We’re hoping this winter was an aberration,” said Scott. “But we’re still looking at ways to avoid similar problems in the future.”

Exactly when Crane Lake residents might expect relief isn’t clear. As of Wednesday, a MnDOT frost gauge under Hwy. 53 in Orr, showed the frost depth at just over seven feet. That’s actually an improvement over readings on Monday, when the frost depth was still registering at 8-feet, one-inch. With somewhat warmer weather forecast for next week, the ill effects of a long and very cold winter may finally begin to ease.