The new municipal
wastewater treatment system for the city of Biscay,
about 73 miles west of the Twin Cities, started operating in December 2014, culminating
an effort that spanned six years. The Minnesota Public Facilities Authority and
Board of Water and Soil Resources provided funding for 80 percent of the $1.4
million project. The city is paying the other 20 percent through a low-interest
loan.
Other partners in the
project included McLeod County, Midwest Assistance and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
(MPCA). Wenk Associates was the project engineer.
Biscay is located on
State Highway 22 in south-central Minnesota. It is a small town about halfway
between Hutchinson and Glencoe with a population of about 114 people.
Formerly a straight
pipe community to the South Fork
Crow River, Biscay decided on a community on-site sewer system to treat its
wastewater. The wastewater collection and treatment system will serve 29
connections. The collection system includes a combination of grinder pumps and
gravity sewer. A lift station pumps the wastewater to the new treatment system,
which is a midsized subsurface sewage treatment system. In addition, some
property owners upgraded their onsite sewer systems as part of this project,
though they remain separate from the municipal system.
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This new system stops
the discharge of 2.5 million gallons a year of raw sewage to the South Fork
Crow River, helping make the water healthier for the river and waters
downstream including the Mississippi.
Photo at top right: Installation
of new wastewater treatment system.
Photo at right: Previous
straight pipe to the South Fork Crow River.
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The MPCA will hold the 78th annual Wastewater
Operations Conference March 25-27 at the Marriott Northwest in Brooklyn Park.
Highlights include:
-
A & B exam refresher;
- C & D exam refresher;
- Certification examinations; and
- Operator
Awards Ceremony
Other
topics include leadership, new technology, climate adaption, stabilization
ponds, sewer cleaning and televising, emergency response, and much more.
In
addition, several vendors will have exhibits for participants to visit.
To register, download the forms on the MPCA
website.
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