Otter Tail County the second county in the state for management of septic systems

By Robert Williams

Editor

Land & Resource Management Director Chris LeClair and District Administrator at Otter Tail Water Management District Alex Kvidt presented the 2024 Otter Tail Water Management District Annual Report and Land & Resource Annual Report to the board of commissioners on Tuesday, Feb. 11.

There are 1,883 properties in the district. A total of 62 percent are on active management, the remainder are on passive management. The district issued permits for 35 new or replacement systems, 10 for gravity systems, 12 for brush, five for mounds, seven for septic tank or holding tank replacements and one Type 3 permit issued.

The Planning Commission had 29 permit applications with one being denied. There were four preliminary plats; one excavation in the bluff; one boat access conditional use permit (CUP); three commercial plan unit developments; two commercial use; two non-dwelling (storage units); and one park CUP (Phelps Mill); two planning development conversion commercial to residential; seven shoreland alteration CUPs and three solar panel CUPs.

“This year we saw our first solar panel CUPs and it was a good conversation,” said LeClair.

The Board of Adjustment had 64 applications, 53 approved, 11 denied. 

The largest variance is expansion of a non-corforming structure, typically old cabins and structures.

“State law allows those structures to remain in place, in fact, you can tear them down and rebuild them,” said LeClair. “There’s a myth that you have to leave a wall in place. That’s a myth. You can tear it down to its foundation and rebuild it in the same spot. It just has to be the same size. Any expansion of an outside dimension needs board of adjustment approval.”

There were more ordinary high setback variances than normal 15 approved, four denied.

Right-of-way setbacks had a 50 percent approval rate. Impervious surface nine were approved, one denied.

There were 795 shoreline permits issued, 630 for structures, 185 for shoreline alteration.

Regarding septic system permits, LeClair noted a common complaint is in regards to the amount of mound permits issued in the county.

“What you’ll often hear is Otter Tail County makes people put mounds in,” he said. “What I tell people is Otter Tail County isn’t making you put mounds in, the soil is making you put mounds in. It’s the soil you have on your lot that dictates whether you have a mound or in-soil system.”

He also noted the state average is 45 percent mounds. In the county, just over one-third are mounds.

“So, we’re below the average across the state for mounds and that’s because we’re blessed with good soils,” said LeClair.

He also addressed answers to constituent questions about having to replace their septic systems.

“It actually has real water quality benefits; not only to the drinking water but to the surface water,” said LeClair. “We’re a county that relies on our lakes and the last thing we want to do is put a bunch of constituents in there that could decrease the quality of those lakes.”

Otter Tail County is consistently the number two county in the state in regards to management of septic systems. St. Louis county is 10 percent higher, other than 2020 when Otter Tail County led the state in permits issued.

The department has a new system where the public can access permits through the county’s GIS portal – https://ottertailcounty.gov/property-home/maps-data/