Bypass Solves Odor Problem at St. Ignace Twp.
By Karen Gould

Since the sewer bypass valves were turned on Tuesday, December 19, odor complaints have ended, say St. Ignace Township board members, and a year-long battle to eliminate the foul odors is over.

The St. Ignace Department of Public Works put in the bypass line, said Township trustee Don Schairer, and “That solved all of our problems.”

The township made the decision to add the 3,000-foot bypass in August after all other solutions failed to correct the odor problem in the Evergreen Shores area, especially along Shore Drive and Huron, Superior, and Michigan streets.

St. Ignace Public Works Director Les Therrian said the new line bypasses the gravity system and now waste flows directly to the Shore Drive and South Mackinac Trail lift station. From there it travels to the sewage treatment lagoons next to the Mackinac County Airport.

The township board, Mr. Therrian, and civil engineer Andrew Keranen of U.P. Engineers and

Architects, Norway, had tried a number of options to stop the hydrogen sulfide sewer odor, including adding filter canisters, infusing more water into the system, injecting air into the system, adding chemicals, and placing filters on outside home vents. The results from the trials often were unsuccessful and at best offered only temporary relief.

The unplanned bypass cost the township an additional $220,000, which the township has taken from surplus funds.