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February 2020 (OnPoint is sent out every other month)
Each year, the MPCA recognizes Minnesota wastewater treatment facility operators that maintain a strong record of permit compliance.
To be eligible, facilities must submit all monitoring reports to the MPCA correctly and on time, demonstrate consistent compliance through monitoring or surveys and employ staff certified by the MPCA in wastewater operations.
This year just under 1000 facilities were reviewed by MPCA wastewater compliance and enforcement staff in order to determine eligibility for the 2019 Wastewater Treatment Facility Operational Awards. Of those reviewed, 309 facilities maintained exceptional compliance during the review year October 2018 to September 2019 and consequently earned the award.
Over the last few years the MPCA has tightened its criteria in determining if a facility should receive an award and these facilities have been able to consistently meet all of their reviewed permit requirements.
All of the honorees are listed on the MPCA web site. The awards will be presented at the annual Wastewater Operations Conference at the Marriott in Brooklyn Park on Wednesday March 25, 2020. Any award not picked up in person will be mailed to the respective facility,
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The MPCA has been working hard to develop a document to guide permittees and their consultants through the antidegradation process. Previously, the rules referenced “nondegradation."
The rules were updated in 2015 to comply with federal requirements. The new rules also provide more detail on how antidegradation assessments (done by the permittee and consultants) and antidegradation review (done by MPCA) are accomplished.
An important piece is the assessment to determine the extent to which existing good water quality might be affected by a proposed project.
The Guidance includes details on how this is done, including:
- defining the pollutants of concern
- determining existing ambient water quality
- calculating the extent to which water quality will be changed, and
- avoiding the need for an antidegradation assessment altogether through a commonly used off-ramp (ie accepting a permit condition that sets mass cap limits).
These and many other issues are addressed in Antidegradation Guidance. Check it out. If you have questions, please contact Joel Peck, (municipal liaison) or your permit writer.
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Do you have parameters with no results? If so, leave the parameter boxes blank on the eDMR. Do not put "0" or "NA" in the box. Add a note indicating that you did not chlorinate or that monitoring wasn't done or required in this monitoring period.
The Data Managers WILL NOT check the exceptions to the eDMR if there is no comment reported on the eDMR. Violations will appear if notes are not included.
See other tips on the MPCA Discharge Monitoring Reports webpage. For help with eDMRs and other compliance issues, you may also contact your MPCA compliance officer or assigned data manager or visit the data management staff at the DMR booth at the annual wastewater conference.
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This is a reminder to send in all non-DMR related submittals electronically to the electronic WQ Submittals.
Follow these easy steps:
NOTE: The MPCA will not deem the WQ Submittal as received unless the form is attached.
The ONLY EXCEPTIONS to this electronic submittal process are:
- Pretreatment Annual Reports
- Whole Effluent Toxicity Tests (WET Tests)
These must still be submitted as paper copies to:
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Attention: WQ Submittals Center
520 Lafayette Road North
St. Paul, MN 55155-4194
If you have any questions regarding this new process, please contact your assigned MPCA data manager or compliance staff person.
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