Lac La Belle residents Paul and Anita Campbell recently sent a letter on April 14 to Randy Conroy, DEQ senior district geologist in the Waste Management Division, Marquette office, expressing their concerns about Black Bear's statements in that letter. The Campbells note that Black Bear was supposed to have done a feasibility study to determine numbers of skier visits in order to determine the size of the sewage treatment system. The Campbells letter also asks whether Black Bear determined by a feasibility study that on-site disposal systems around Lac La Belle are marginally effective. Also commenting on Black Bear s March 21 letter, Tom Collins, South Shore Association president, wrote to Conroy that most Lac La Belle residents are not interested in a municipal wastewater treatment system since septic systems are effective and less costly in this seasonal community. Lac La Belle like Copper Harbor is a seasonal community.
Revenue is generated based on discharge water, which fluctuates as residents leave the area.
He also tells DEQ officials that Lac La Belle volunteers intend to work with consultants testing Lac La Belle water this summer and could combine their efforts with the DEQ water-testing project. When Black Bear sold this project into the area they shoved it down our throats. They predicted 40,000 visitors the first year and, from our estimates, fewer than 12,000 people visited Mt. Bohemia and it would appear that the vast majorities were there with free passes. Now they say that Lac La Belle needs a sewer system. The fact is that I have undertaken a project to install a state of the art closed septic system at the Mendota Lighthouse designed for the soil conditions of this area.