BACKGROUND/UPDATES:

The 201 Community Sewer System was installed via a project between Carver County and the Federal Government back in the 80’s when seasonal cabins on lakes around Carver County were starting to develop into residential communities.

Laketown Township has maintained and repaired it’s portions of the system since its installation —well beyond its 20 year lifecycle.

2023: A community meeting was held on March 20, 2023 for residents/property owners connected to the 201 Community Sewer System to review the Facility Plan by Bolton & Menk (engineers) relating to replacing the 201 system with sanitary sewer, along with discussion of the preliminary assessment numbers.

Project was supported by those in attendance and supported by the board with public funding requests for the $21.4m estimated project cost ($11m state bonding consideration

2024: $6.4m made it into the 2024 Bonding Bill that remained in limbo following the statutory end of the 2024 legislative session, and $2.5m congressional earmark under consideration ($2m has been approved for the US House Appropriations Bill, with same amount supported in the US Senate); and $1.1m county investment consideration (Carver County will formally consider their contribution once both Federal and State funds are achieved - our request has increased from $1.1m requested based on costs in 2023 — to $1.496m due to inflation.)

2025: The Congressional earmark was stripped from the Continuing Resolution passed by Congress. We have reapplied for consideration for the next Congressional budget cycle. We remain hopeful that our project will be included in a Bonding Bill by the end of this MN Legislative Session (May 2025). Carver County will formally consider their contribution once both Federal and State funds are achieved.

2025 MN Legislative Session and Special Session DID NOT result in funding of community projects such as ours. We have submitted our FY26 Capital Budget Requests for consideration and inclusion in the 2026 Bonding Bill. We will continue to maintain our existing system while we await public investment in our proposed wastewater rehabilitation project. Next update anticipated in early 2026.

2026: We have received notice of support from all 3 - both US Senators and our Congressman - that our application has made their cut for consideration.

Congressional earmark of $2m has passed in U.S. House and U.S. Senate, and the President has signed it - its official that we have been awarded $2m towards this proposed project.

Carver County Board of Commissioners are engaged and supportive of this project. The budget process is underway for consideration of their level of contribution towards this important infrastructure improvement project.

Our local representatives continue to carry our bill requesting State of MN bonding funds to be allocated to our project. We should know by mid-May whether this project funding crosses the finish line before the end of the 2026 Session. If passed, as anticipated, impacted property owners will be notified to attend Public Hearing(s) to hear from residents and consider the next steps to proceed with the project.

The MN Legislature included $6.4m in the 2026 Bonding Bill towards Phase 1.

Carver County Board of Commissioners have not finalized their portion of investment. As of September 2026, there was insufficient support for a financial contribution at the County level. You may wish to reach out to them to urge them to contribute along with Feds, State, Township, and benefiting residents.

—> Once public investment is secured to the point where the project becomes feasible, proper notice will be mailed to each property owner impacted by the proposed improvement, in accordance with the law and timeline. Notices will also be published in the Waconia Patriot.

—>It is possible that we will need to proceed without County investment to avoid further delays and inflationary costs. STAY TUNED…