Sawyer County zoning committee debates making holding tanks 'last resort' to curb tourist-house occupancy loophole

Sawyer County zoning staff and committee members discussed a potential ordinance change to require holding tanks be used only as a "last resort" rather than as an always-available option, with the stated goal of preventing property owners from increasing tourist rooming-house occupancy by adding holding tanks in place of properly sited conventional systems.

Jenny Chabak, chair of the Tourist Rooming (TR) ad hoc committee, told the zoning committee that allowing holding tanks as a free choice can be exploited to expand occupancy in lakeshore housing and that this practice raises risks for groundwater and surface-water quality. "If you can add a separate 2,000-gallon holding tank and now say I can sleep eight more people, that is bad for the environment," Chabak said.

Staff explained the current county status as a "system of choice" (holding tanks permitted even when conventional systems are feasible) and described options other counties use: require demonstration (soil tests, lack of area) and a higher-level approval to permit a holding tank where soils or space would otherwise support a conventional system. Committee members raised enforcement and staffing questions, noting the volume of existing tourist rooming houses and that changing the ordinance may trigger many permit reviews. Several members said they prefer ordinance language that prevents holding tanks where soils and space allow conventional systems and asked staff to draft language for committee review in the coming months.

No formal ordinance change was adopted; staff agreed to prepare draft language and return with recommendations, including whether approvals should be routed through zoning or the county Health & Human Services department and how to fund anticipated additional enforcement work by fee-setting linked to the eventual permit program.