A decades-old wastewater controversy has resurfaced at The Homestead resort, where a state-permitted spray irrigation system used to dispose of treated sewage has once again drawn public concern over possible impacts to neighboring land inside Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
The Homestead insists its system is safe, closely monitored, and meets all environmental standards set by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). But critics, led by retired park ranger Tom Van Zoeren and his group Drifters United, say airborne spray from the resort’s system has been drifting beyond its boundaries for years, carrying treated sewage into parkland and deterring visitors from the area.
Installed in 1993, The Homestead’s spray irrigation system distributes treated wastewater across open fields east of the resort. The system was designed to naturally filter water through the soil and vegetation before it reenters the groundwater.
