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BZA approves special exception for Helmsburg wastewater plant after officials cite failing 30‑year system
Summary
Brown County BZA granted a special exception (26-SE-03) allowing a wastewater treatment plant at 4862 Helmsburg Road, citing a failing 30-year-old plant and multi-year planning; the board voted unanimously to approve the request.
The Brown County Board of Zoning Appeals approved docket 26-SE-03, a special exception to allow construction of a wastewater treatment plant at 4862 Helmsburg Road for the Helmsburg Regional Sewage District.
Petitioner representative Kyle Myers told the board the current plant is "30 years old and rapidly declining," that operators have made temporary or "Band-Aid" fixes to prevent sewage discharge to Bean Blossom Creek, and that the new design — an Aero-mod system — would be more robust and expandable to serve Nashville, the Lake Lemon area and the Bean Blossom area. Myers said the new plant design and funding have been in development for more than five years. The board asked about setbacks in the local Zoning Ordinance and whether state code or IDEM requirements applied; Attorney David Schilling explained that setback distances are local preferences in the zoning ordinance and that state code exemptions for sewage disposal design releases had been confirmed by the building commissioner.
Myers told the board the property was purchased from the county commissioners using ARPA funds and that the sewage district hopes to secure money from the State Revolving Fund. He also said the Health Department recommended involving an architect for an alternative septic/system solution and that Cruise Consulting had been contracted to recommend the alternative system. When asked whether IDEM had issued an order, Myers replied inspectors had not yet issued a formal order but that continued temporary fixes could lead to enforcement: "so far the fixes have kept inspectors at bay but IDEM could issue a violation order at any time," Myers said.
A Helmsburg resident, Erika Bryenton, spoke in favor of the petition and told the board that septic systems are not feasible in Helmsburg and that the community could not sustain a failing sewer plant. Board member Michael Harrison said denial of the petition "could be damaging and materially detrimental to the residents of the area that is served by the failing plant," and moved to approve the docket; President John Dillberger seconded. The roll-call vote was unanimous in favor.
The approval clears a local zoning hurdle for the project; funding and design remain subject to the sewer district's subsequent actions, state permitting and potential SRF financing.
