• About Us
• History & Mission
  • History & Mission
• Board
• Executive Director
• Structure
• Wastewater & Solid Waste Authority
• Financials
• Notices
• Investing in our Infrastructure

History

In response to citizen demands to clean up the St. Louis River, the Minnesota Legislature created the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD) in 1971. WLSSD’s initial goal was to improve and protect the waters of the St. Louis River basin and its tributaries. In 1974, additional legislation was passed, giving WLSSD the added responsibility of solid waste management.

Mission

The mission of Resource Renew (the brand of Western Lake Superior Sanitary District) is to ensure responsible reuse and renewal of water, solid waste, and energy to support the health and resiliency of our communities.

Our vision is to transform resource renewal, empower communities, and protect the environment.

A Dirty Water Past

Across the nation, communities and industries used rivers to take wastes “away”. The resulting impact on our waterways was considered the price of progress. In northeastern Minnesota, area communities used the St. Louis River as a means to dispose of wastewater and other wastes. Industries discharged their wastewater directly to the River virtually untreated, and most municipalities treated their wastewater only minimally. This severely affected the River by depleting the dissolved oxygen supply. Noxious odors and large fish kills kept most people away.

Clean Water Act

Beginning in the 1950s, citizens of Minnesota and the nation began to encourage lawmakers to find solutions to water pollution problems. In October 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act and later appropriated funds under the Act to build and upgrade wastewater infrastructure across the country. $100 million in federal funding was provided to build WLSSD’s wastewater collection and treatment facilities.

River Recreation Returns

The treatment plant was completed and began operating in September 1978, consolidating 17 old, inadequately treated wastewater discharges into one point that met state and federal discharge standards from day one. Water quality in the St. Louis River rapidly improved. By the early 1980s, an increasing number of citizens returned to the river for fishing and recreation.  Efforts are underway within the St. Louis River Area of Concern to address the legacy of toxic materials in sediments. With each remedy applied, the water quality is improved.

Sometimes its easy to forget how far we’ve come since 1978 when the St. Louis River was not much better than a sewer. The cleanup of the St. Louis River is an achievement that all residents in the region can be proud of.