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1. Why is Point of Sale Inspection Required?

The Point of Sale ordinance is intended to help reduce peak sanitary sewer flows caused by Inflow and Infiltration (I/I), or flow of clear water into the sanitary sewer system. The City’s wastewater pond capacity is limited and in order to reduce unnecessary water from entering the ponds, the City of Moose Lake requires a point of sale inspection to identify and reduce I/I to the wastewater collection system. These inspections allow the City to ensure that private properties have no illegal connections to the sanitary sewer system or pipe defects that contribute to excess peak flow discharges.

2. Who is subject to an inspection?

Those properties connected to the Municipal Sanitary Sewer who do not have a valid certificate of I/I Compliance when one of the following situations occurs:

• Prior to Sale:   All properties in Moose Lake must be inspected and required to be in compliance before they can be sold. 
• With Permits: Property owners who apply for sewer connection or disconnection permits will also be subject to an inspection

3. What is the fee?

The application fee is $250 for residential properties and $750 (per building) for commercial or multi-unit buildings.

4. What is inflow and infiltration?

Inflow and Infiltration (I/I) is the excess flow of clear water into the City's sanitary sewer system. The City of Moose Lake owns and operates the sanitary sewer collection system and wastewater treatment ponds. Because the sanitary sewer system was not designed to handle this excess clear water, the system and ponds can becomes overloaded during times of high groundwater or heavy rainfall. This limits the capacity of the ponds, can cause basement flooding or bypassing of raw wastewater to local streams and lakes. 

5. Why is I&I a problem?

The excess clear water from I/I problems uses sanitary sewer capacity needed for the City wastewater treatment ponds. This results in limiting development opportunities in the area, potential sewer backups and increased maintenance costs for needlessly putting clear water through the wastewater treatment process.  Water that goes down any drain in your house leads to the sanitary sewer system and eventually ends up at the City wastewater treatment ponds, where it is treated before being released back into the environment.  Wastewater from Moose Lake and Windemere Township travels through the City’s sanitary sewer system to the waste water treatment ponds.  The City of Moose Lake also permits any new connections to the sanitary system.  When the ponds are at their capacity, new connections for development can be limited or even denied.  Therefore, the City is investing in local reduction remedies to urge compliance and ultimately increase wastewater pond capacity and operating costs.  Since sanitary sewer rates are based on the number of gallons that flow through the City sanitary sewer system, treating clear water is costly to everyone.  

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1. How much are fines?

$0.10 a day/$0.50 a week for books and magazines; $1.00 a day for movies.

2. How long can I check items out for?

The circulation periods are as follows:

• 4 weeks for books
• 1 week for magazines
• 48 hours for movies

3. What if I can't find the book I want in your collection?

If you can't find the book in our collection, we can always order it from another Arrowhead System Library.

4. Can I print out materials at the library?

Yes, we have both a printer and a copy machine. $0.25 a page.

5. Do you have options for people who have cabins in the area that might not be able to get a library card?

Talk to a librarian about your situation specifically to be sure, but we always have our honor system paperbacks in the front of the library that can be taken out by anyone!

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1. How do I get utility service if I am moving to Moose Lake?

Come into our Business Office at Moose Lake Water and Light at 401 Douglas Avenue and fill out an application (PDF) to set up a new utility account.

2. Where are you located?

Address

Our physical address is:
401 Douglas Avenue
Moose Lake, MN 55767

Directions

From North - Interstate 35 South

1. Take MN-27 Exit Number 216.
2. Turn left onto MN-27.
3. Turn left onto Douglas Avenue, just past 6th Street.
4. Water and Light offices are located on the corner.

From South - Interstate 35 North

1. Take MN-73 Exit Number 214.
2. Turn left onto MN-73.
3. Turn right onto Elm Avenue.
4. Take first left onto 4th Street.
5. Take first left onto Douglas Avenue.
6. Water and Light offices are located on the corner.

3. When are you open?

We are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. We are closed Saturdays and Sundays.

4. Why is my bill higher than last month?

Your bill could be higher for a variety of reasons:

• Your water or electric consumption has probably increased. Check to make sure you do not have any malfunctioning appliances or using any additional heat or cooling in the past few months. For more information, please call our business office at 218-485-4100 to speak with a Customer Service Representative. We also offer to our customers the ability to rent a Kill-A-Watt which is a device you can plug into the wall and plug your appliances into and it will measure their usage.
• Have you updated your appliances and light bulbs to energy saving ones? You could replace all of those 60- to 100-watt incandescent bulbs for light emitting diode (LED) bulbs that use a fraction of the wattage for the same light dispersal. Change out that old clunker of a washing machine for a new Energy Star rated one. And the best part? Besides all the energy savings, we offer rebates!
• Additionally, if your payment was received after the bills were calculated, it will not have been applied to your account and therefore not reflect in your current bill total.

5. How does the Water and Light Commission set its rates?

Water rates are set by the Moose Lake City Council through rate cases in which the utility requests pricing to cover its costs of providing the service. Electric rates are set by the Water and Light Commission.

6. What are my payment options?

You can pay in a variety of ways:

• You can come in and see us at:
  401 Douglas Avenue
  Moose Lake, MN 55767
• You may mail checks to:
  P.O. Box 418
  Moose Lake, MN 55767
• You may place your payment (no cash please) in our drop box at 401 Douglas Avenue.
• You may come in an set up a Direct Pay (PDF) to be taken out of your checking or savings account.
• You may pay online.

For more information, visit our Payment Options page.