Retreat Lodge Drills Wells to Improve their Source of Drinking Water

Stories from the Source

Retreat Lodge Resort, located on Lake Vermillion in northeastern Minnesota, is a noncommunity water system that is dedicated to providing safe and reliable water. The system first applied for a Source Water Protection (SWP) grant in 2012. The resort had been struggling with an ineffective and expensive surface water treatment system for many years. Concerns about consistent maintenance and drinking water contamination prompted the system to apply for a SWP grant to support the drilling of a new well.

Old Surface Water Treatment System

In 2017, after an application, inspection, and approval process, a 350 ft well was drilled on the property. However, the well had a slow recovery time and was not able to meet the water needs of the resort. This led Retreat Lodge Resort to apply for another SWP transient grant in 2018. After the grant was awarded, a bigger well was drilled to replace the surface water system entirely, providing a higher quality drinking water source. However, in 2022, the new well began to run dry every 3-5 days. This resulted in loss of pressure to the distribution system, which raised concerns about the potential of harmful bacterial growth entering the water supply. In 2023, another SWP transient grant was awarded to deepen the existing well and replace the pump. 

The first well drilled with help from the SWP grant program eliminated the original problem of a high-maintenance treatment system. Yet concerns about disinfection byproducts persisted because of the combination of organic content from the lake and chlorine during the treatment process. The second well, along with the subsequent deepening, provided water in a sufficient quantity to meet the resort’s needs and eliminate the loss of pressure issues. While the number of people who routinely drink from the resort’s water supply was low, both Retreat Lodge and MDH staff were concerned about the community and employees living at and around the resort.

The continued commitment and persistence from Retreat Lodge as well as support from the SWP Grants program, made possible by the Clean Water Fund, has assured clean and safe drinking water for everyone at the resort. The SWP grants program provided $26,485.88 with the resort covering the additional $28,140.76 in expenses for the two wells. “The drinking water from the well is far superior and safer than the water from the lake water system,” the resort owners stated, voicing their appreciation for the results of the project.

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