A permanent solution to Nicolville sanitary sewer problems may be “in the ground” this summer.

John Mueller, Red Rock Township Board chairman, made that prediction after the Cedar River Watershed District (CRWD) Board of Managers agreed to loan the township $30,000 to offset engineering and planning expenses incurred by the township that it cannot by itself afford.

“If we acquire the property and get the grant, the new system could be in the ground by the end of summer,” Mueller said.

On May 20, the CRWD board unanimously agreed to loan the township $30,000 for six months at zero percent interest.

The agreement must be approved by the Red Rock Township board at their June monthly meeting and Mueller predicts approval will be forthcoming.

Mueller has been a leader in finding a solution since 2003, but the unincorporated village’s problems date back to 1974.

Located along Mower County CSAH No. 46 (old Highway 16) east of the Austin Country Club, residents’ individual septic treatment systems were found to be in non-compliance with state standards.

The close proximity of Dobbins Creek and the dangers of raw sewage flowing into the stream which flows through the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center and into East Side Lake exacerbated the environmental concerns.

In recent years, Larry Dolphin, director and naturalist at the nature center, lobbied for attention to the situation from the Mower County Board of Commissioners, who had taken care of similar sewage treatment system problems in Dinsmoor Acres and then Bellmans Addition, but Nicolville’s own problems languished.

“I’m excited,” Dolphin said. “We still have to take it one step at a time, but I think we are moving in the right direction.

“With the Watershed District’s loan guarantee, we can now look for eminent domain and the land acquisition negotiations to occur soon,” he said.

Receiving the CRWD loan will help the township clear the way for pursing a grant to have a new small community collection system installed.

“The township has incurred legal costs for developing the plan and there are also engineering costs that are the largest of our expenses,” Mueller said. “We also have site preparation costs to consider, too.”

The system will serve the 15 homes in the village named for a popular gas station and auto repair shop owner, the late Neal Nicol.

Mueller prepared the system to that installed for the unincorporated village of Taopi.

Three collection tanks will be sued, allowing one to be active and the other two are inactive and treating sewage.

Mueller credited Sheila Craig of the Southeast Minnesota Wastewater Initiative with helping Nicolville residents and the township find a solution. “Her assistance throughout this long situation has been invaluable,” he said.

Property acquisition is the next priority, but Mueller said he expects it to come soon.

Then, the attention will be focused on obtaining a state grant to pay for the bulk of the estimated $802,000 costs.

“If we are successful in obtaining the grant and we think we have a good chance, that will cover 75 percent of the anticipated costs,” he said.

The remainder would be paid, mostly, by loans and other grants, according to Mueller, with residents paying the remaining costs,

Mueller spoke confidently that grant and other assistance could be obtained because, he said, “This project ranks high on the state’s list of priority cleanup sites.”

Mueller praised the CRWD for its confidence to loan the township the money. “This is a part of what they were created to do so I think it fits very well in the scheme of things,” he said.

The CRWD was created by the Mower County Board of Commissioners with oversight from the Minnesota Bureau of Soil and Water Resources to address water management and flood control issues in the area surrounding Austin.

“This is all about cleaning up groundwater and that’s something that benefits everyone,” Mueller said.