By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

County Water Management District Administrator Alex Kvidt presented the 2024 Annual Report to county commissioners on Feb. 11. Kvidt provided the board with data on total properties within the Otter Tail Water Management District.

The review included permits issued for new or replacement systems, inspections on installations, compliance inspection data and a comparison of data from prior years.

The Otter Tail Water Management District includes part of Ottertail City and four townships. It encompasses six lakes, Blanche, Deer, Otter Tail, Round, Walker, the south half of Long Lake and part of the Otter Tail River North.  Personnel include the administrator/manager and on-call employee.

In 1978 a group of concerned property owners started studying the steadily declining water quality of the lakes in the area. Unsure of which direction to take, the Otter Tail County Land Management Department was asked to investigate this issue. 

With the help of the State of Minnesota and federal grants, inspections of the old on-site septic systems were performed and a feasibility study was completed by Otter Tail County and private contractors. 

The feasibility study determined that the old on-site systems were probably playing a large role in the degradation of water quality. After the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was completed, a new concern was raised, citing adverse effects of the old septic systems. 

The project focus became more health orientated in succeeding years. Today, pumping tanks, cleaning lift stations, replacing pumps and other major repairs are contracted services. The Otter Tail Water Management District personnel supervise and aid in the contracted services.