Ash River Trail Area Sanitary Sewer Planning Project
Voyageur’s National Park (the Park) is the nation’s only water-based national park, with more than 84,000 acres of water and 134,000 acres of land. The interconnected waterways of the Park provide an unparalleled opportunity to explore the north woods lake country.
Unfortunately, those waters are being negatively affected by human impact such as wastewater from existing developments throughout the region. This water quality degradation threatens the long-term health of the ecosystem and the economic health of the tourism industry upon which the local economy is based.
The Voyageur’s National Park Clean Water Joint Powers Board was set up in 2010 to assist the Park communities in providing feasible strategies for improving and sustaining the water quality within the project area.
The Ash River Planning Area consists of a mix of resorts and seasonal and year round lake homes. There are approximately 146 sewer-producing parcels and based on the desktop-level review conducted as part of the 2010 Namakan Basin Comprehensive Wastewater Plan, the total number of assumed nonconforming subsurface sewage treatment systems (SSTS) equals 107. This equates to a 73% non-conformance of the SSTS systems within the project area.
Public Project Documents:
