According to a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) enforcement investigation, Gold Coast of Bemidji, dba Ruttger's Birchmont Lodge discharged sewage to the ground and failed to notify the Minnesota Duty Officer and MPCA during the summer and fall of 2022.
MPCA inspections confirmed that sewage holding tanks had inadequate and unsecured covers, and sewage was surfacing to the ground from the system’s drain field. These violations caused potential public safety and health threats around the tanks and drain fields.
In addition to paying the $13,000 civil penalty, Ruttger's Birchmont Lodge has completed a series of corrective actions including:
- stopping the discharge of sewage to the ground and capping the connection between the tank and the drain field.
- submitting a release response plan to include actions to identify, recover, and treat released wastewater, ensure public safety, and immediately report potential future releases of wastewater to the Minnesota Duty Officer.
- submitting a signed document to confirm resort staff have been trained on the release response plan.
MPCA rules and regulations are designed to protect human health and the environment by limiting pollution emissions and discharges from facilities. When companies do not fully comply with regulatory requirements, the resulting pollution can be harmful to people and the environment.
When calculating penalties, the MPCA takes into account how seriously the violations affected or could have affected the environment, and whether they were first-time or repeat violations. The agency also attempts to recover the economic benefit the company gained by failing to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner.
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