By Richard Crawford

Carver County Commissioner Tom Workman took matters into his own hands Monday morning in an effort to satisfy lingering questions he has about a septic system on county-owned property in Waconia.

Members of the media were invited out to the Waconia Regional Park Ballroom property to watch Workman uncover a problem he suspected with the system.Workman, who represents Chanhassen, said he has had concerns about the septic system that serves the ballroom since last winter when he saw trees growing in the septic field. Trees aren’t allowed to be planted in septic fields, according to codes.

Before digging up the cover on the septic tank on Monday, Workman reviewed the history of the county’s purchase of the ballroom and concerns he’s had about the septic system.

 History

Last year, Carver County purchased nearly three acres of property where the ballroom is located. The land acquisition has been discussed since 1996 as an addition to the Lake Waconia Regional Park property. The county purchased the property for $2.5 million, and is being reimbursed by the Metropolitan Council.

The property had been owned by the Rick Wagener and Lucille Wagener family since 1982 but the ballroom's history dates back to the 1930s. Prior to the sale, the Wageners had an inspection done of the septic system and the system was found to be in compliance by a licensed inspector who also installed the system.

The septic system was a focal point of a County Board discussion in February, when  Workman was the only commissioner to vote against a contract with hospitality vendor to continue operating the ballroom. At that meeting, Workman presented pictures of himself standing amid the trees in the septic field. This spring, county crews cut several trees down on the property.

Workman said he became more concerned after reviewing a blueprint for the system that showed pipes draining from the bottom of a septic box, which he said wouldn’t have met code specifications for the septic system. He said in an e-mail exchange in May with county Land and Water Services employees, he was told that the installer had modified the system so that the pipes were draining out of the side of the box, which would have met the code.

Workman said in recent weeks he’s been pressing the County Board for a follow-up inspection to make sure the system is built to code. He said he was even prepared to pay $300 for it so it wouldn’t be at taxpayer expense.

Workman said in a June 4 discussion with county officials it was decided “not to proceed with any additional inspection of the system.”

Prior to uncovering the septic system Monday, Workman said his main interest was determining whether the pipes were draining out the side or the bottom of the box to determine whether the system met septic codes.

“This is a very political issue in Carver County and other counties,” Workman said of septic system regulation. “The county has prosecuted people because of sub-standard systems.”

Workman said the county couldn’t afford to be hypocritical with its own system, especially since the ballroom septic field is next to Lake Waconia. With video cameras rolling and several county residents in attendance, Workman dug the cover off the septic tank on Monday and confirmed his suspicion that drain pipes were flowing out of the bottom of a box, meaning there wasn’t adequate separation to meet codes, Workman explained. After several minutes inspecting the box with a measuring stick, Workman said he thought uncovering the septic tank was “a cost-effective way for the board to find out that somebody is lying and the staff is repeating it.”

Workman said without a proper septic system, the taxpayers “paid for something they didn’t get.” He estimated it would cost at least $200,000 to hook the ballroom up to the city of Waconia’s septic system.

More questions

Workman said a septic system that doesn’t meet proper codes leads to many questions.“I think it puts into question the price we paid for it, our commitment to the environment,” he said. “It puts into question just about everything.”

County Administrator David Hemze and other county commissioners learned of Workman’s visit to the ballroom site Monday afternoon. Hemze said the county was relying on the certificate of compliance issued by the licensed inspector.

“This new observation needs to be looked at,” Hemze said. “Whether that makes it out of compliance or not needs to be determined.”

He said the county’s primary interest is to protect the environment and make sure the system is in compliance.

 Richard Crawford can be reached at editor@chanvillager.com.