Wed., Nov. 4 · 7 p.m. Public hearings: Dockside Village hearing, Bellaire · Cairn Club zoning hearing, Kewadin
The Torch Lake Observer
Sewer & water

Where the sewage goes

Sewage plants near the lake need a state permit to keep running, and they report their own test results to the state every month. This page tracks each plant’s permit, its record and where its water goes.

This page covers the sewage plants near the lake that hold state permits: village and resort plants that report to the state every month. Dockside Village also depends on a proposed shared plant whose state permits are still pending.

By Observer Staff · Updated Nov. 1, 2026

Where they are

The map needs JavaScript. Every project is listed in the table below.

Construction Sewage plant Event venue Water in the Chain of Lakes flows from Intermediate Lake through Lake Bellaire and Clam Lake into Torch Lake, then on to Elk Lake and Grand Traverse Bay.

At a glance

Map numberProjectTypeWhere it standsNext date
Bellaire’s village sewage plantVillage of BellaireSewage plant10.56 million gallons released in April; under a state orderWed., Nov. 4
Shanty Creek Resort’s sewage plantCuster Township, near BellaireSewage plantPermits expired in 2020; phosphorus over the limitNone set
How to read the approvals
  • Approved: the permit has been issued.
  • Pending: applied for, not decided. The count is days since the application.
  • On hold: the agency has paused it.
  • Not checked yet: we haven’t looked it up, so we don’t say.
  • Problem on record: the agency has cited a violation or flagged a result.

Each status is as of the date on its card. We move that date only after we check the records again.

Village of Bellaire · Under a state consent order since 2023

Bellaire’s village sewage plant

505 S. Court St., Bellaire, on the Intermediate River upstream of Lake Bellaire, Clam Lake and Torch Lake · Map

Status as of Nov. 1, 2026

What it is

The Village of Bellaire’s wastewater plant: three lagoons plus an added (tertiary) treatment stage, releasing treated water into a wetland beside the Intermediate River. That river runs through Lake Bellaire, the Grass River and Clam Lake, then into Torch Lake. When the lagoons run too full, partially treated sewage has gone into that wetland and river.

10.56Mgallons released April 13–20, 2026, partially treated and not disinfected
6releases reported since April 2022
52.5Mgallons in those six reports
4deadline-extension letters on the 2023 state consent order

Who runs it

The Village of Bellaire owns the plant. Its April 2026 overflow report was filed on the village’s behalf by Operations Services of Gaylord.

What the records show

From April 13 to April 20, 2026, after about 4.5 inches of rain on top of snowmelt, Lagoon #2 overflowed onto nearby land and swamp, and the plant pumped down Lagoon #3 to lower the levels. The village estimated the release at 10,557,000 gallons: “partially treated” and “not disinfected,” with “both land and water impacted” in the Intermediate River. The report says E. coli samples were “Not Taken as Required” and that the lagoons hadn’t kept their required 2 feet of freeboard (spare depth). As next steps, it says an investigation is needed into a suspected problem with groundwater and rainwater leaking into the village’s sewers.

  • Six reports since April 2022 add up to about 52.5 million gallons: 13.08 million (April 2022, a lagoon at risk of failing), 4.50 million (Aug.–Sept. 2022), 6.56 million (Nov.–Dec. 2022), 13.94 million (April–June 2023), 3.91 million of “blended sewage” (March 2025), and 10.56 million (April 2026). In the August 2022, November 2022 and 2023 releases, the village reported the water had been through treatment but without the required two-week holding period or disinfection. The plant had no disinfection then; a UV system came with the recent upgrade.
  • During the April 2026 release, the Health Department of Northwest Michigan asked Bellaire residents to cut water use and disconnect sump pumps, warned people not to enter or touch the affected water, and advised against fishing in, or eating fish from, Lake Bellaire and the surrounding area (reported April 16).
  • State law requires the village to notify EGLE, the local health department and a daily newspaper “immediately, but not more than 24 hours after the discharge begins.” EGLE was told by phone on April 13. The village’s own report versions disagree on the others: the first version, filed April 13, lists the health department and a newspaper as notified that day; the final version lists April 24 and April 25.
  • State law also requires E. coli testing of the affected waters after a discharge to surface water, unless the county health department waives it. The final report says E. coli samples were “Not Taken as Required.” It doesn’t say testing was waived (the health department did waive it for the March 2025 release).
  • Under a 2023 state consent order, the village agreed to pay $4,739 in state costs and to file a corrective action plan, first due March 1, 2024. EGLE has granted four extension letters; the latest (May 14, 2026) moved the plan to June 1, 2026, and an asset management plan to Dec. 1, 2026. We did not find the corrective plan in the state’s public file as of Nov. 1.
  • The lagoons were overhauled in 2025. During the work, the plant’s operator emailed EGLE (Aug. 21, 2025) that the construction was “short circuiting” the flow and hurting permit numbers, and on Sept. 24, 2025 that “our discharge numbers have reached a somewhat critical level” and the plant had stopped discharging. The village’s public works director reported the sewer pond project completed in December 2025.
  • The final April report names the next step as an “investigation… to address a suspected I&I problem”: groundwater and rainwater getting into the sewers. In August 2026 a village trustee asked about inspecting homes for sump pumps and improper connections; the public works director said he hadn’t found a contractor interested. That month the council also raised the starting wage for the vacant plant superintendent job from $25 to $31 an hour.
  • The village council’s posted minutes for April through October 2026 don’t mention the April release. The council’s Public Works committee did take it up indirectly on April 30, 2026: its minutes say that “with recent rainfall and flooding the sewer treatment plant was taking in a significantly larger amount of water,” blame suspected illegal sump-pump connections, and say the public works department planned to inspect properties.
  • Who pays: on July 17, 2024, the council awarded a $3,364,228.19 contract for the plant upgrade to Grand Traverse Construction, on its engineer Gourdie-Fraser’s recommendation; approved a $4,000,000 sewer bond, repaid over 30 years at 2%; and raised sewer rates for what the minutes call the state-mandated project. The village’s budgets show the money came through Michigan’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund: $3,746,096 recorded as “State Grants- CWSRF Funds” and $3,766,555.23 spent on the “CWSRF Sewer Project,” noted as “Reimbursed through Monthly Loan Draws/ Project Complete.” The 2025–26 budget says sewer revenue rose “due to increase of sewer rates / CWSRF”; the 2026–27 budget says “no increase to fees this year.” A standby generator for the plant was “post-poned… wait until 2027,” and next to the $75,000 engineering line, the approved 2026–27 budget carries the note “Asset Management Plan- Aaron- Do you still need this?”
  • Who runs it: in May 2024 the village was paying Operations Services $148,000 a year to operate the plant, and the council voted to hire its own licensed operator. Two years later the job is still open; in August 2026 the council raised the starting wage to $31 an hour. Also in May 2024, the council approved a $45,000 grant for an updated asset management plan. The state consent order separately requires an updated asset management plan, now due Dec. 1, 2026.
  • A 2024 violation notice cited phosphorus discharges of 186 to 194 pounds a year against a 130-pound limit (May–Dec. 2023). The discharge permit expired Oct. 1, 2025; it is listed as “Extended,” and the renewal filed March 26, 2024 is “On Hold.” The state lists 213 violation entries; the newest (April–June 2026) are automatic flags not yet reviewed by staff.

Village of Bellaire reports of discharge, 2022–2026 (state file); Administrative Consent Order ACO-05873 (2023) and EGLE letter of May 14, 2026; operator emails to EGLE, Aug.–Sept. 2025; Village Council minutes, 2025–2026; Health Department of Northwest Michigan advisory (April 2026); MCL 324.3112a; EGLE MiEnviro, checked Nov. 1, 2026; Village Council minutes of May 1 and July 17, 2024; Public Works committee minutes of Jan. 15, 2025 and April 30, 2026; Village of Bellaire approved budgets, 2025–26 and 2026–27.

The permit and the record

  1. State (EGLE)

    Discharge permit (NPDES) MI0044873

    Expired Oct. 1, 2025; listed as “Extended”

    Issued July 28, 2020, effective Aug. 1, 2020. State record →

  2. State (EGLE)

    Application to renew the permit HQ1-KSTX-DG8XM

    On hold950 days

    Received March 26, 2024. State record →

  3. State (EGLE)

    Consent order over sewage releases ACO-05873

    In force since July 26, 2023

    Corrective action plan first due March 1, 2024; now due June 1, 2026, after repeated extensions. The order →

  4. Village’s own report

    Lagoon overflow, April 13–20, 2026

    10,557,000 gallons

    Partially treated, not disinfected; Intermediate River impacted. The report →

The documents

Custer Township, near Bellaire · State permit renewal pending since 2019

Shanty Creek Resort’s sewage plant

The resort’s lagoons south of the Summit base (Section 5, T29N R7W); mailing address 5780 Shanty Creek Road, Bellaire · Map

Status as of Nov. 1, 2026

What it is

The resort’s own wastewater plant. Sewage goes to two aerated lagoons, gets chemical treatment and filtering to remove phosphorus, and is then released underground through drip-irrigation fields. Two separate septic drain fields serve some of the resort’s condominiums. Phosphorus is the nutrient that feeds algae, and the plant’s permit caps it at 1.0 milligrams per liter.

110,200gallons a day, the permit’s daily maximum
98,279gallons, the busiest day in Sept. 2026
1.0mg/L phosphorus limit
5 of 5Sept. 2026 phosphorus tests over the limit
$16.5Min mortgages recorded on the resort in 2026

Who runs it

The state’s permit file lists the plant as Shanty Creek Resort WWTF. EGLE’s 2023 violation notice went to “Shanty Creek – Watars Association,” and the plant’s monthly reports are signed by its contract operator, Mead & Hunt. The resort itself changed hands this year. Shanty Creek Ski and Golf Resort LLC, which its executive vice president, Harper Sibley, described as “a Michigan-based investment group,” took over the 5,500-acre resort from Trinidad Resort & Club LLC effective Feb. 26, 2026, according to 9&10 News. Since then the new owner has recorded two mortgages against the resort with the county: a $7 million future-advance mortgage to Next Bridge Funding LLC of Livonia, signed for the company by member Jerry Pattah (dated Feb. 25, recorded April 16, 2026), and a mortgage with a $9.5 million maximum to The Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Archbold, Ohio (dated Aug. 17, recorded Aug. 19, 2026). That is up to $16.5 million in recorded mortgages. The new owners have announced hotel updates.

What the records show

The plant’s groundwater discharge permit expired May 1, 2020. The state lists it as “Extended” while a renewal application filed Oct. 30, 2019, is still “In Process.”

  • In a July 13, 2023 violation notice, EGLE listed dozens of phosphorus readings over the limit between November 2019 and May 2023, some above 3 mg/L, and said the violations “appear to be continuing.”
  • The same notice said the lagoon’s drip-irrigation field was “reportedly plugged,” one aerator was out of service, and the flow meter wasn’t working properly.
  • The plant’s own September 2026 report shows all five weekly phosphorus tests over the 1.0 mg/L limit: 2.1, 1.8, 2.0, 1.9 and 1.7.
  • The state’s website lists 1,166 violation entries for the plant. Most are automatic flags generated from the plant’s own reports, and the newest are marked “Active – Not Reviewed,” meaning EGLE staff haven’t reviewed them yet.
  • The state file also lists sewage-discharge reports filed in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
  • The resort has a second sewage permit for its Schuss Mountain side, held by the Schuss Mountain Water and Sewage Association (GW1810110). It too expired, on June 1, 2020; it is listed as “Extended,” with a renewal “In Process” since Nov. 15, 2019. Its August 2026 report shows phosphorus at 1.2 and 1.9 mg/L against the same 1.0 limit. The state lists 342 violation entries for that plant.

EGLE MiEnviro site record for Shanty Creek Resort WWTF, checked Nov. 1, 2026; violation notice VN-014717, July 13, 2023; discharge monitoring report for September 2026; Antrim County parcel roll (parcel 05-10-032-009-00).

The permit and the record

  1. State (EGLE)

    Groundwater discharge permit GW1810155

    Expired May 1, 2020; listed as “Extended”

    Issued April 6, 2017, effective May 1, 2017. 2017 permit (public-notice draft) →

  2. State (EGLE)

    Application to renew the permit HNT-GXC1-0YMBV

    In process2559 days

    Received Oct. 30, 2019. The 2017 permit was put out for public notice and comment before it was issued. State record →

  3. State (EGLE)

    Violation notice VN-014717

    Issued July 13, 2023

    Phosphorus over the limit from 2019 to 2023, a plugged drip field, an aerator out of service and a faulty flow meter. Earlier notices went out in 2012 and, for phosphorus, in 2016. The notice →

  4. Plant’s own reports

    Phosphorus tests, September 2026

    5 of 5 over the limit

    Flagged automatically by the state’s system; not yet reviewed by EGLE staff. September report →

The documents

The approvals a project can need

Different offices approve different parts of a project. Most of their records are public, and you can look them up yourself.

The township: zoning

The township decides whether a use is allowed on the land, how big a building can be, and how far it must sit from the road and the water. A large or unusual project usually goes to a public hearing before the planning commission. That is often the first place residents can speak. Townships post their agendas and minutes online.

Antrim County: building and earth moving

Building permits come from the county’s construction code office. Moving earth near the water also needs a soil-erosion permit.

The health department: wells and septic

A home or business with its own well and septic system is permitted by the Health Department of Northwest Michigan, which serves Antrim County.

The state (EGLE): sewage plants, docks and wetlands

Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) permits the bigger pieces: a sewage plant that discharges into the ground needs a groundwater discharge permit, and building a shared sewer system needs a separate construction permit. Work in the lake or in wetlands, such as docks, seawalls and dredging, needs its own permit. Many of these get a public notice and a comment period first. EGLE posts them on MiEnviro, which anyone can search.

Know about a project?

If something is being planned or built near the lake, write to tips@torchlakeobserver.com. A project gets a card here once its facts are in public records we can post. If you think a status here is wrong, write to corrections@torchlakeobserver.com.

The data behind this page is public too: projects.json.

Update log

Nov. 1, 2026: Page started with Dockside Village.

Nov. 1, 2026: Added The Cairn Club (Milton Township), Shanty Creek Resort’s sewage plant, and the deli and hotel at 3910 US-31 (Torch Lake Township).

Nov. 1, 2026: Added 16 rental homes off Chippewa Trail (Milton Township).

Nov. 1, 2026: Shanty Creek card: added the resort’s 2026 sale and its two recorded mortgages.

Nov. 1, 2026: Added Bellaire’s village sewage plant. Shanty Creek card: added the resort’s second plant (Schuss Mountain, GW1810110).

Nov. 1, 2026: Added banquet events at DeWitt Marine on Clam Lake (Forest Home Township).

Nov. 1, 2026: Bellaire card: added the six-release history since 2022, the health advisory, notice and testing questions, the 2025 upgrade emails and the village’s response.

Nov. 1, 2026: Correction: the DeWitt Marine card first said Odd Fellow Events “plans to” hold events. Odd Fellow on the Lake is already operating as an event venue. The card is retitled and rewritten.

Nov. 1, 2026: Bellaire card: added the 2024 contract, bond and rate votes, the operator-staffing history, and the Public Works committee’s April 30 discussion.

Nov. 1, 2026: Bellaire card: added the project’s state revolving-fund financing and budget notes.

Nov. 1, 2026: Correction: the Shanty Creek card said the sewage plant was in Kearney Township. The resort’s address is there, but the plant’s lagoons and its permitted discharge field are in Section 5 of Custer Township. Map pins now come from county parcel maps and aerial imagery, and each pin says how it was placed.