Miller marks 40 years of service as Sanitary District trustee

by Marianne Morf

When he was asked to consider joining the Clear Lake Sanitary District’s Board of Trustees, John Miller says he thought it would be an interesting venture.  Forty years later, Miller is still serving— and the job has never gotten old.

“Nobody cares much about the Sanitary District— but it’s very important,” he says with a rye grin.  “We’ve gone from the days of having cottages pump sewage directly into the lake, to a system that protects our lake.  The main thing is that we have always been improving and upgrading as our population has grown.”

Today, the Clear Lake Sanitary District spans all the way around the lake, serving Clear Lake and Ventura households.  It is one of only a handful of sanitary districts not under the umbrella of city government.

Since Miller began serving as a Sanitary District Trustee in 1976, he has seen the district commission and improve lift stations, complete more than $20 million in upgrades and grow its budget from $130,000 a year to $2.6 million in 2016.

As awareness and commitment to improve the lake’s water quality  came to the forefront in the mid-1980s, the Sanitary District was a key player.

A timeline of Sanitary District highlights created by District Superintendent Kevin Moler in celebration of Miller’s 40-years of service, points out that in 1984 high rainfalls caused backups and bypassing of untreated water into the lake.  The action, which was completely legal, put a spotlight on lake water quality.  It also prompted initiation of a sump pump education  program.

In April 1991, bypassing at Lift Station 5 totaled 14 million gallons and 6 million  gallons bypassed at the treatment plant.  In May that year, 25 million gallons and 24 million gallons were bypassed at Lift Station 5 and at the treatment plant respectively.

In 1995, the district embarked on a $20 million-plus upgrade, beginning with Lift Stations 5 and 8 and a new force main pipe to the treatment plant and equalization basin on S. 24th St.

Moler replaced superintendent Steve Nicholson in 1997 and continued to oversee improvements.  Moler and his district trustees learned in October 1997 that U.S. President Bill Clinton had signed an Appropriations Bill which included a $10 million line item grant for Clear Lake Sanitary District upgrade projects.

Among the other notable milestones Miller has seen during his tenure as a trustee was the July 2003 signing of a 25-year contract with Emery Power Plant to supply reuse/cooling water for the new Alliant Power Plant.  As the first re-use project in Iowa, it received a Merit Award at the 2006 Water reuse

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Symposium in Hollywood, Calif.

Another little-known fact is that Clear Lake Sanitary District also set a World Record for the longest horizontal directional drill project (6,024 feet) for its force main pipe construction project from Dead Man’s Curve on North Shore to Farmer’s Beach Road.  The line, installed in February 1999, runs 30-feet below the lake bottom.

Miller says district leaders continue to learn about innovations and law changes and rely heavily on Moler’s leadership and district staff.

“Right now we have a top notch superintendent, staff and equipment.  All have done a great job of creating and maintaining an outstanding facility,” says Miller.

Moler aims the praise back at Miller and those who have served the Sanitary District.  Currently Miller serves with Robert Wolfram Jr., Tim Clark, Lothar Meyer and Steve Nicklaus.

“John brings cohesiveness to the board because of his natural ability to mediate,” said Moler.  “As with any board passions can cause tempers to flare. John’s humor helps maintain a calmer discussion. It will be a challenge to fill the deep void John will leave when he decides to stop serving as a trustee.”

Miller says he’s not sure if he’ll run for election again when his term expires in two years.

“The Sanitary District Board isn’t a popular thing,” he chuckles, “but it’s important.”

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