Hayden Lake Sewer District Info Page

Hayden Lake Sewer District History

• Welch Comer Historical Discussion and Comment on HARSB Joint Powers Agreement:

Retired District engineer, Larry Comer, and current engineers Steve Cordes and Ashley Williams addressed the Board and gave a brief history of the District and HARSB. 

• HISTORY: 

• 1976 - The Hayden Lake Recreational Water and Sewer District (HLRWSD) (the District) was created by election in 1976 to protect the lake and drinking water quality.   

• 1977 - Spokane/Prairie Aquifer rules went into effect, & Hayden Lake feeds into the Aquifer and part of the District is over the Aquifer. 

• 1980’s (Local Improvement District) LID 1 area includes Hayden Haven. 

• 1985 - LID 2 & 3 areas include Pt. Hayden, Avondale, Hayden Lake Country Club, Honeysuckle Hills to Sandy Cove. 

• 1987 HARSB started main construction with City of Hayden (the city) and Kootenai County (the county); environmental, economy to scale, and public interest.   

• Equity shares are tied to ERs (Equivalent Residence).  They were defined as 250 gallons per day, then 200, and now 172.5.  Six Wastewater Units (WU) equal one ER. 

• The District started out with about 2500 ERs and 76% of the system use with the City of Hayden at 23% and 800 ERs, and the county with 1% and just a few ERs.  The District is now at 23.8%, the county still at 1% and the city with 75.2%.   

• The treatment plant was oversized by 333 extra ERs and were put into the windfall pool to be used by all the entities. 

• 1990’s – 470 acres for land application of treated wastewater was acquired, and the District received credits for their money spent.  It was considered a future investment for the District. 

• 1996 the equalization pond was installed.   

• The District had a focus on water quality and limited growth.  The city’s focus was on growth and development.  They had different interests and geology.  The city is completely over the Aquifer with sandy soil, excellent drainage, and gravity systems.  The District is only partially over the Aquifer with a majority over poor draining soil, a high-water table, and 50% of the systems being pressure, not gravity, which is more expensive to maintain.   

• Due to geology, the city’s additional stormwater/groundwater goes into the Aquifer very quickly.  The District’s does not drain well and goes into the sewer system creating Infiltration and Inflow (I & I).