Board approves septic replacement variance to address undersized drain field

The Stearns County Board of Adjustment approved a variance to allow John Tillman to replace an undersized soil-treatment area and sewage tank on a narrow, pre‑1972 Avon parcel.

Staff told the board the existing drain field (installed in 2008) had become ponded and was undersized for the household; a licensed designer recommended a revised design that includes a lift station, pretreatment and UV, and staff said replacement will require removing contaminated soil and installing wash sand. The proposed location is constrained by a lakeside shallow well that requires a 100-foot separation from soil-treatment areas, limiting backyard options.

Tillman told the board the original house and lot configuration left limited alternatives and that the revised design represented "the best we could do" given water-table and lot-width constraints. Board members asked about well depth (staff reported a 29-foot drilled well on design) and whether interior bedroom changes had been permitted; staff said interior bedroom changes do not always trigger county permits and that records did not show the bedroom timing.

After completing the statutory findings (staff reported seven affirmative findings), the board approved the variance so the owner can install the updated treatment system; members noted the change improves public- and environmental-health protections by replacing the undersized system.