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The MPCA is requesting
comment on amendments to Minnesota Rules chapter 7050 which establish
designated uses for rivers, streams, and lakes. The request for comments was published
in the Sept. 24 State Register, and the public comment period is open through
4:30 p.m. on Nov. 8.
The notice of request for
comments in on the MPCA
Public Notice Webpage (scroll down to the Sept. 24 date). Information about the
MPCA’s proposed amendments is available on the rulemaking webpage.
What the rule amendments are
about:
The proposed amendments affect Class 2 (Aquatic Life) and Class
7 (Limited Resource Value Waters) designations. Minnesota’s surface waters are currently
assigned, or designated, a number of possible beneficial uses, such as drinking
water, aquatic life, and recreation like fishing and swimming. These
designations are the current or expected beneficial uses that should be
attained in those waters. Different physical and chemical criteria – for water
quality standards – apply depending on the beneficial uses that need to be
protected in each water.
The MPCA routinely reviews use designations to ensure that
assigned beneficial uses are protective and attainable as defined by the Clean
Water Act and Minnesota Rule. As the result of routine monitoring and
stakeholder requests, the MPCA has identified waters where the current designated
beneficial use does not accurately reflect an attainable use. The designated
beneficial use for each water body must be correct and appropriate because the
designated use affects many water quality protection and restoration efforts such
as assessment, stressor identification, National Pollution Discharge
Elimination System permitting, and Watershed Restoration and Protection
Strategies.
The William A.
Irvin was moved as part of a Lake Superior slip cleanup project in Duluth,
Minn., overnight on Sept. 21-22. The ship will return in spring 2019. In the
meantime, historical pollution, dating back to the late 1800s, will be dredged,
leveled, and capped in the Minnesota Slip, Slip 3, and Slip C, as part of the
St. Louis River Area of Concern cleanup efforts. The MPCA and its contractors
will be doing this in-water work throughout October and November.
For video of the
ship being moved through a pedestrian drawbridge, with only 7 inches to spare
on each side, visit the MPCA
website.
For more
information about the cleanup, visit the St.
Louis River Area of Concern webpage.
Related media
coverage:
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Leadership for Midwestern Watersheds (LMW)
is a popular forum for professionals who deliver projects that reduce
agricultural runoff in watersheds of the Upper Mississippi River Basin.
LMW is developing a “community of practice”
among conservation practitioners who work to improve water quality with
landowners, agencies, and businesses, one watershed at a time.
The annual LMW meeting series features
presentations and facilitated discussions on subjects essential to
successful watershed projects. Examples include: farmer engagement, geospatial
planning tools, project financing, and water quality monitoring. To date,
more than 200 attendees from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and
beyond have participated, including many watershed projects supported by state
nutrient reduction programs and USDA-NRCS Landscape Conservation
Initiatives.
This year’s meeting, focusing on “Measuring
Progress Towards Environmental, Social, and Economic Outcomes,” will be held
Nov. 8-9 at Winona State University in southeast Minnesota. For more
information and registration, visit the LMW
website.
 The MPCA is seeking Wastewater Treatment Facilities (WWTFs) for a pilot project on optimizing practices to meet more restrictive phosphorus limits without having to do costly construction projects.
Background
Lake and River Eutrophication Standards have led to new or more restrictive phosphorus limits in many wastewater discharge permits throughout Minnesota. While the standards will lead to cleaner lakes and streams, they can also lead to major construction projects for WWTFs, which can place municipalities in costly deliberations. But there may be ways to optimize treatment to meet these new limits, without the expensive build-out scenarios. What if, by adjusting recirculation rates, or retention times, municipalities could comply with new limits and avoid new construction?
The MPCA plans to explore these scenarios through a pilot project funded by the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Communities in other states have documented their success in meeting limits through optimizing practices, providing an example to follow. The Legislative and Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources, which recommends proposals for funding, also believed the scenarios were worth exploring. It scored the MPCA’s optimization project proposal as its second highest priority in 2017. The 2018 Legislature then approved a $700,000 grant for the pilot project.
Beginning this fall, the MPCA will coordinate with the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP), and Minnesota Rural Water Association (MRWA) to focus efforts on about five WWTPs and 30 stabilization ponds. The goal is to apply new knowledge to old treatment systems to maximize the treatment potential without costly infrastructure projects.
“We think that we can find ways to get the bugs to work a little harder and drive those Total Phosphorus numbers down, without having to bolt something new onto Minnesota’s treatment plants,” said Joel Peck, municipal liaison with MPCA and manager of the pilot project. “MRWA has such great first-hand understanding of stabilization ponds, and MnTAP has a track record of applying theory to practice for wastewater plants across the state.”
The end result will be a field guide of optimization techniques for operators to use to meet more restrictive phosphorus limits.
“If we can solve this through process control, rather than expensive construction projects, the people of Minnesota win, with cleaner waters and less expensive ways to get there,” Peck said.
How to sign up for the pilot project
The MPCA, MnTAP and MRWA are looking for WWTPs and pond systems to take part in the pilot project. There is no cost to you or your municipality.
If you anticipate new phosphorus limits in your permits and want to know if optimization can work for your system:
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Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton recently announced his appointments to the Governor’s Task Force on Wild Rice. Established in June 2018 through Executive Orders 18-08 and 18-09, the task force will work toward the restoration and protection of wild rice habitats, in order to preserve the cultural, environmental, and economic interests many Minnesotans have for this complex issue.
The task force is a nonpartisan group of experts and key stakeholders who are committed to finding a compromise solution to wild rice restoration and protection in Minnesota. It is comprised of representatives from Tribal Nations, industry, environmental advocacy groups, scientists, state government agencies, and other stakeholders.
Over the coming months, the task force will work to review existing peer-reviewed scientific literature and existing wild rice conditions. It will also help develop recommendations on funding for additional data collection, best management practices for protecting and restoring wild rice, sulfate minimization plans, and the development and installation of cost-effective sulfate treatment technologies.
By Dec. 15, the Task Force on Wild Rice will recommend specific policy proposals and actions that can be taken by the executive and legislative branches of state government and the private sector to protect wild rice in Minnesota, while supporting continued economic development and job creation across the state.
Dayton created the task force after the administration, Minnesota Legislature, and key stakeholders did not agree upon a workable policy solution during the 2018 legislative session. In May 2018, Dayton vetoed a bill regarding the sulfate standard for waters used to produce wild rice. The bill would have eliminated important environmental protections for wild rice, which would have violated the federal Clean Water Act. He also vetoed a bill that would have replaced the MPCA’s responsibility under state and federal laws to determine a wild rice water quality standard by unlawfully giving a work group this power.
See the Environmental Quality Board website for the task force meeting schedule.
- Oct. 2-3: Nobel Conference: Living soil - a universe underfoot, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter.
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Oct. 16-17: Minnesota Water Resources conference, St. Paul RiverCentre.
- Oct. 25: Freshwater Society 50th anniversary, Minnesota History Center.
- Oct. 27: Phalen Creek Nibi Walk, (Oct. 6-advance program) St. Paul.
- Oct 28-30: River Restoration 2018, Laurentian RC&D, Two Harbors.
- Oct. 29-31: BWSR Academy, Breezy Point Conference Center, Brainerd.
- Nov. 8: Minnesota River Congress, Jackpot Junction (scheduling in process), Morton.
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Nov. 29-Dec. 1: Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts conference, Arrowwood, Alexandria.
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Dec. 9-11: Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts convention, DoubleTree, Bloomington.
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Dec. 18-19: Conservation tillage conference, Fargo, ND.
The MPCA is asking for your data to help assess the condition of lakes and streams and build a national database of water quality.
The MPCA is specifically interested in the following
priority watersheds because the agency will be determining whether these water
bodies meet state water quality standards in early 2019:
- Blue Earth River
- Cottonwood River
- Lower Rainy River
- North Fork Crow River
- Pomme de Terre River
- Rainy River – Rainy Lake
- Rapid River
- Redwood River
- Snake River (St. Croix basin)
The MPCA is also looking for data on the St. Croix River
main stem and the Lower Mississippi River main stem from St. Anthony Falls to
the Iowa border.
If you have data from outside a priority watershed or one of
these areas, the agency will also accept it.
The MPCA will use your data to:
- Help plan for future monitoring efforts including what to monitor for and where to monitor.
- Identify pollutant “stressors” that are causing or contributing to problems or threats to fishing, swimming, and recreational uses.
- Evaluate the success of ongoing activities to protect and restore water quality.
Deadline: Submit project, lab, and field data now through
Nov. 1.
Deadline: By Dec.
17 you will need to review the data entered by the MPCA.
Find out more on the MPCA's surface water data website.
Your role in collecting these data is
important to Minnesota’s effort to identify impaired waters, as well as those
waters in need of additional protection. Thank you for your help.
For more information on submitting data:
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Nancy Flandrick, 651-757-2361 (St. Paul, Rochester and Mankato regional offices)
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Jean Garvin, 651-757-2378 (Marshall and Detroit Lakes regional offices)
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Mary Knight, 651-757-2424 (Brainerd and
Duluth Lakes regional offices)
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