Twin Lakes are a pair of shallow, seepage water bodies about 200 acres in size located about a mile southwest of the Village of Roberts in St. Croix County, WI.  While beautiful to look at, they are not considered recreational lakes, and serve mainly as the septic drain field for the Village of Roberts, whose wastewater treatment plant discharges effluent into the lakes.

The lakes, once known for producing desirable fish, have been on the state’s impaired waters list for many years.  According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, both lakes suffer from excess nutrient enrichment, poor water quality and experience heavy algal blooms.  They are among the state’s most polluted lakes.

The specific causes of the current flooding have been the subject of much speculation, false perception, and misguided beliefs.  The broad answer is that the amount of water entering the lakes is greater than the water being dissipated from the lakes.  This can be directly attributed to the sustained flow of wastewater discharged into the lakes from the Village of Roberts Water Treatment Plant over the last five decades, along with faulty estimates of how much waste effluent the lakes are capable of dissipating.

The Village of Roberts is completely dependent on Twin Lakes to provide dissipation of its wastewater.  Ultimately, it is the residents who utilize the community water and sewer system that have to bear the costs associated with operating it.  As it becomes more difficult to treat and dispose of the waste from the Village, costs to residents will continue to increase.

Lack of sufficient waste handling capacity has already become a major obstacle for growth and development of the area, particularly in terms of business growth.

Twin Lakes is part of the Kinnickinnic River Watershed.  As more wastewater accumulates around the lakes, it creates a greater and greater threat to the Kinnickinnic river, which is a highly prized recreational and wildlife supporting river.