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.
“The spray disposal method is a common wastewater treatment technology used throughout Michigan and the United States,” said Homestead senior vice president Adriene Kokowicz. “EGLE sets discharge standards and monitors our system to ensure our discharge is within health and environmental standards.”
Kokowicz said the resort’s water is tested weekly, with quarterly groundwater testing through 10 monitoring wells, and added that there has been “no contamination.” Kokowicz emphasized that the resort’s wastewater consistently meets the standards set by the state and pointed to the resort’s long standing compliance with the state permits.
“Our permit was the subject of a contested case hearing in 2017,” she said. “During that hearing, the Chief of Groundwater Permits for the state testified that The Homestead’s permit is likely the most restrictive in Michigan to prevent spray drift.”
Resort President Bob Kuras rejected the notion that sewage is drifting into the park.
“The ‘long running drifting sewage issue’ has been inaccurate from the beginning,” Kuras said. “The ‘drifting sewage’ is in fact highly treated wastewater that is sprayed on a crop that takes up virtually all remaining nutrients just as crops take up fertilizers. The crop is then harvested and hauled offsite.”
Van Zoeren disagrees. As a former ranger who patrolled the area before and after the spray system was built, he says he’s seen firsthand how public use of that section of the park has changed.
“Because sewage blows into the air over the park, the area has to be posted with warning signs,” Van Zoeren said. “People naturally and sensibly avoid that whole area. Many people do not realize that the air is unsafe and undesirable in the area of the park beyond the warning signs; nor do they understand that The Homestead has no right to utilize it as part of their spray system.”
Van Zoeren founded Drifters United, also known as The Sewage Squad or Poo Patrol, to advocate for a change in how the resort handles its wastewater. The group has conducted independent DNA sampling to determine whether treated sewage spray is drifting into parkland.
“Presently we are paying an independent environmentalmonitoring company to conduct its own independent DNA sampling, to verify (or not) our test results,” he said.
He estimates that about 10 acres of parkland adjacent to the resort are significantly affected.
The Homestead maintains that its operations follow state law and that it has been transparent throughout each permit cycle. Kokowicz said public notice and comment are part of every renewal process, and the resort worked with the National Park Service during the last review.
“Every EGLE permit cycle requires a public notice and comment period,” Kokowicz said. “Most of the same comments being made today were addressed at the 2017 contested case hearing and addressed to the satisfaction of EGLE. The most recent permit process included several discussions with the NPS to refine the plan that was approved.”
Kokowicz said the resort is currently planning an upgrade to replace aging equipment and add new filtration to reduce phosphorus levels, but there are no plans to change the method of disposal.
“When this system was installed in 1993, it was the first of its kind in Michigan,” said Kokowicz. “We’re looking to install an additional filtering system to reduce the amount of phosphorus in the water, but there are no plans to change the method of disposal.”
Van Zoeren says he and his group have reached out to the resort repeatedly but have not received a response.
“We normally send copies of all our reports to The Homestead as well as to the state and the National Park Service, and have offered to meet and discuss things again,” he said. “But we’ve received no response.”
He argues that the resort should adopt a different, fully contained disposal method.
“The Homestead simply has to do the same thing every other resort or business does: choose a safe, legal way to dispose of its sewage,” he said. “There are many types of sewage treatment facilities to choose from. One simple one would be to convert the spray fields into trickle irrigation fields.”
With the resort’s wastewater discharge permit currently under review by EGLE, both sides say they are waiting to see whether the state will impose any new requirements. The National Park Service keeps warning signs along the affected boundary area, advising visitors to avoid exposure to airborne mist.
For now, the dispute remains a symbol of the complex balance between environmental protection and local industry in Leelanau County.
