CRANE LAKE- The lakeside community of Crane Lake is unique in many ways, and one of those that flies under the radar of most visitors is the town’s wastewater collection and treatment system.
It’s an afterthought for most, but not for the Crane Lake Water and Sanitary District (CLWSD) board and those charged with operating the plant.
CLWSD received word last week that the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board approved $250,000 for the Wastewater Treatment Facility Flow Equalization System project, an upgrade that’s been in the works for about two years, and the IRRR award tops off the $1 million needed for the project.
Irregular flow of wastewater into the plant is a natural outcome of the cycle of life in Crane Lake, and it’s an issue city-based wastewater systems generally don’t have to contend with, CLWSD board member Rob Scott said.
“We have the seasonal change in the summer, basically May into September, and the rest of the year it drops way down,” Scott said. “And then you have what we call around here the spikes around Friday, Saturday and Sunday – the plant gets hit and then through the week it goes down.”
The uneven flow pattern is problematic in how it affects day-to-day operations.
“It’s very challenging as far as what and how much more of a particular chemical they put in or don’t put in,” Scott said. “It takes a big labor factor as well because you’ve got guys that are basically in there on a daily basis trying to work this thing.”
The solution to creating a more even flow is the installation of two large flow equalization tanks, where wastewater can be received and stored and released into the plant in a more controlled manner.
“It’s like a holding tank, but it does more than that,” Scott said. “It has processes in there for treatment. It’s a kind of pretreatment process as well versus a straight holding tank. It gives us the ability where the peaks and the valleys come in to settle out and then do a measured approach as far as bringing that in for treatment.”
CLWSD had already secured $600,000 from the Minnesota Clean Water Fund and $200,00 from St. Lous County, and construction is now underway, Scott said. St. Michael-based Rachel Contracting will work into November on earthwork and piping, then resume construction in late spring/early summer as weather allows. Scott said the upgrade could be ready to come online by June. And that will be a relief to those who’ve had to manage all of the ebbs and flows of the system.
“This whole (upgrade) helps that tenfold,” Scott said.