Annandale city officials are looking for a way to stop residents from pumping rainwater into the wastewater treatment system. The problem came up at the Monday, Oct. 6, city council meeting in a consideration of city code amendments. The code bans hooking up sump pumps to drain into the sanitary sewer system. But the question is how to deal with it. Public works director Joe Haller said in an interview it’s OK to have sump pumps to keep the basement dry, but they have to discharge into the yard or the street. If they drain into the city sewer, it costs money to treat the water, and the city would have to build a bigger system to handle all the extra water, he said. Haller told the meeting that during one of last year’s heavy rains, the run time on the pumps in the wastewater system more than doubled, indicating that half the water going into it didn’t need to be treated. He suggested doing a city inspection when a house is sold. Council member Bill McNellis said it could be done when the water and sewer billing is changed. But city administrator Mary Degiovanni said if a concealed sump pump were found, the new owner would be stuck with the problem. She said in an interview later that many cities do house-to-house inspections. The answer may be in educating homeowners or enforcing the code, or both, she said. Mayor Marian “Sam” Harmoning said she is against doing a random survey. She suggested bringing the issue back with input from city engineer Brad DeWolf. In other action, the council: – Accepted the $3,394,000 bid of Di-Mar Construction Inc. of Minnetonka to build a water treatment plant, maintenance building and well. Di-Mar’s bid was the lowest received and came in under the engineer’s estimate of $3.6 million. – Accepted the $122,208 bid of LaTour Construction Inc. of Maple Lake to build a sewage lift station for the Triplett Farms housing development. The bid was the lowest received and was under the engineer’s estimate of $142,210. – Heard a report from Rose Mary Nelson, co-chair of the Annandale Area Community Team that it has taken 53 orders for streetlight banners, which will be displayed on Main Street, Highway 55, Highway 24, in Annandale Memorial Park and the City Hall parking lot beginning in January. – Approved the appointment of Gina Sandin as part-time police secretary and the revision of Nancy Engfer’s job description to that of regular full-time police officer. – Received an opinion from city attorney Gordon Hansmeier that council members’ participation in the Small Cities Development Program Housing Rehabilitation Program isn’t a conflict of interest if they disclose at a council meeting that they’ve applied for a loan or grant. – Approved an agreement between the Annandale-Maple Lake Wastewater Commission and Albion Township on the proposed wastewater treatment plant to be built there by the two cities. – Approved city special assessment policies, deleting deferred assessments for property owners over age 65 but providing for the city to follow state law. – Heard a property owner on Lake Drive West describe a dispute among neighbors over a fence that he built too close to the property line. Harmoning offered to help find a solution.
