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WALKER - Cass County Environmental Services Department issued 20 more land use permits for new buildings, additions and private sewer systems the second quarter this year than in 2014, ESD Director John Ringle reported to the county board Tuesday.

This continues the first quarter trend when 53 more permits were issued in 2015 than 2014.

Overall the first half of 2015, ESD issued 747 zoning permits, up from 509 in 2014.

"We have not experienced activity levels like this since 2007," Ringle said, adding, "We believe the early spring and relatively dry start to the summer have improved building activity and septic (system) construction."

Sylvan Township by Pillager and Woodrow Township between Hackensack and Longville continued to have the most land use permits issued for new construction and sewer systems with 29 and 23, respectively, the second quarter of 2015.

Permits for shoreland alteration doubled from 16 to 32 in the first quarter this year and jumped significantly the second quarter from 53 last year to 183 this year. Ringle attributed the second quarter increase to extensive shoreline damage caused by ice heaving as the lakes thawed this spring.

Ringle said ice damage this spring was most significant on larger lakes like Gull and Leech. Because there are more larger lakes from the Hackensack-Longville area north to Cass Lake, the largest number of shoreland alteration permits issued per township appeared in northern townships.

ESD issued 22 shoreland alteration permits in Pike Bay (by Cass Lake), followed by 19 in Woodrow (between Hackensack and Longville), 17 each in Wabedo (by Longville) and Hiram (by Hackensack) and 14 in Shingobee (by Walker).

Additional larger northern Cass lakes include Woman, Ten Mile, Winnibigoshish and Cass.

Also, much of the Cass County Gull Lake shoreline is in the cities of Lake Shore and East Gull Lake, which have separate zoning programs and would not be reflected in county totals.

The number of conditional use permits and variances ESD processed the second quarter this year remained about the same as 2014.

Environmental services staff also worked with the sheriff's department to remove junk and garbage from three properties, which were located in the townships of Barclay, Pike Bay and Turtle Lake.

Tuesday, Cass County Board adopted a septage management plan, mostly reflecting past county practice for controlling the spreading on farm fields of septage private businesses collect when they pump private sewer systems.

This formal plan came in response to repeated concerns Longville area residents have expressed the last two years about dust hauling trucks create on a neighborhood gravel road, the smell the septage creates and the potential for polluting a nearby lake from runoff.

Terry Nagorski, who said he was speaking for 50 residents along the road, said the truck traffic also creates a safety risk for children playing near their homes in that area.

Environmental Services Director John Ringle reported the county currently has 68 approved disposal sites in the county, 25 of which are currently active.

Two of the 25 active sites are being disposed in the cities of East Gull Lake and Cass Lake municipal systems. Four are within the county's shoreland zone or one-fourth mile from a lake or river. The Longville site is one of those.

The county approved the site in 2012 that neighbors now object to using.

Ringle explained that the county does not issue permits to those who pump and spread septage, but does require them to get their spreading sites approved by the county before using a site.

The state follows federal guidelines, he said. Cass County requires that septage haulers meet those guidelines, which Minnesota Pollution Control Agency enforces. MPCA would act as enforcer for any violation of those Environmental Protection Agency guidelines, he said.

Where the county is more restrictive than those federal guidelines, the county attorney can prosecute violations, Ringle said.

The new county policy will apply to any new septage disposal site. Where it may be more restrictive than previous practice, existing sites would not be required to be re-approved or to meet the new restrictions.

In addition to requiring county, state, and federal zoning and septage disposal regulations, the new formal county policy requires disposal sites to have at least five acres; have slopes of 6 percent or less; meet state soil absorption system requirements; and be 600 feet from any residence, 1,000 feet from a municipal well, 200 feet from a private well, 600 feet from a rural residential or commercial or water oriented commercial zoning district, 50 feet from property lines or public roads and one-fourth of 1 mile from a public water.

New in the policy from past practice will be "that Cass County recommends that the road authority most adjacent to the site will be contacted to discuss any route concerns, including dust, noise and other traffic safety concerns."

Also new: "Once a site has been approved by Cass County, any subsequent regulatory activity will be forwarded to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, including compliance inspections, complaint investigations, enforcement of EPA rules and prosecuting violations of the same.

"Cass County staff may accompany the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency upon request and shall be responsible for regulatory activity related to this site approval process."

Rusty Lilyquist asked Commissioner Jeff Peterson to come to Lilyquist's office in Longville to discuss the situation on his property, the site Longville neighbors have been contesting.

The board appointed Peterson and Commissioner Scott Bruns to meet with Lilyquist.

On a separate issue, the board authorized Environmental Services Department to hire Emmons and Olivier Resources of Oakdale at a cost not to exceed $10,548 to provide a water quality assessment and water quality trends for a Leech Lake River Watershed Restoration and Protection Project. MPCA will fund the project.

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