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April 2020
Lake Pepin in southeast Minnesota is close to meeting its custom water-quality standard designed to minimize algae, with more work needed upstream to meet the goal, according to a study recently released by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The study focuses on phosphorus levels in Lake Pepin and the Mississippi River upstream, from the Crow River near Dayton, Minn. to the St. Croix River near Hastings, Minn.
Phosphorus comes from many sources, including wastewater discharged by communities and industries, and runoff from farm fields and urban areas. Both urban and agricultural sources need to reduce the phosphorus they send to rivers and eventually Lake Pepin. About two-thirds of the algae in Lake Pepin are produced upstream. As such, the study calls for reducing phosphorus from upstream rivers by 10-50 percent.
The total maximum daily load (TMDL) study has spanned several years, largely due to the need for more scientific work on water quality standards for the lake and rivers, as well as extensive stakeholder engagement.
During the study period, the work to decrease phosphorus was ongoing. From 2000 to 2019, communities and industries upstream of Lake Pepin decreased the phosphorus discharged in their wastewater by 80 percent (chart in upper right).
Thanks to their efforts, Lake Pepin is close to meeting its standard, though two sections of the Mississippi upstream need further reductions to meet their water quality goals and help Lake Pepin at the end of the system.
Webex meeting May 6, 10 a.m. to noon
The MPCA will hold an informational meeting about the TMDL study May 6 via Webex. For access details, and additional information, visit the study webpage: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/lake-pepin-watershed-excess-nutrients-tmdl-project. If participating in the May 6 Webex meeting:
- Make sure you have a good internet connection.
- Please plan to log into the meeting at least 10 minutes early to work through any technical difficulties you may encounter.
- The meeting will open with a general presentation, with more detailed presentations on wastewater and stormwater permits to follow, as well as time for questions.
- Note that microphones will be muted during the presentations to limit background noise.
- Video cameras will also be turned off to conserve on bandwidths.
- Make sure you close Skype or other applications that may be accessing your mic and video camera.
The MPCA is accepting written comments on the study through 4:30 p.m. June 19. Send comments to or request information from Justin Watkins (507-206-2621), MPCA, 18 Wood Lake Drive SE, Rochester, MN 55904.
Written comments must include a statement of the respondent’s interest in the report, and the action requested of the MPCA, including specific references to sections of the draft document(s) that should be changed, and the reasons for making those changes.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the importance of contingency planning for wastewater collection and treatment. It is the City’s/Permittee’s responsibility to employ an appropriately certified wastewater professional to effectively operate your wastewater system as well as to plan for back-up operation in the event of an emergency.
While we all hope it isn’t needed, this is a good time to refocus on contingency planning efforts. Whether you've done some contingency planning in the past or the idea is new to you, we encourage all cities/permittees to prioritize this effort. Please consider the following as you develop your contingency plans:
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One size does not fit all. Every community and wastewater system is different. You know your community and its infrastructure best. Larger communities with multiple operators may want to consider modifying work arrangements/shifts to help facilitate social distancing and avoid exposing all staff should one of their operators become sick with or have a known exposure to COVID-19. For smaller communities with one or two employees, this planning will look significantly different and will likely include planning for outside help should an operator(s) become temporarily unavailable to perform his/her usual duties.
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Start Local. If you need outside resources, consider reaching out to neighboring communities with a similar type of wastewater system to see if your communities can help each other. If so, consider spending time (while implementing MDH’s safety precautions) at each other’s wastewater systems to go over basic operations, potential issues, and understand the wastewater systems’ unique operational needs.
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Transfer your knowledge. Make sure your operation and maintenance plan is updated. Your knowledge isn’t useful if it is only in your head and you are not able to perform your duty. Transfer your knowledge to others directly or put it in writing so it can be used to assist someone in running your wastewater system who is not otherwise familiar with it. Make sure key procedures, recurring issues with your plant, unique operational needs, etc. are clearly documented.
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Utilize your Engineer’s expertise. Another good resource for planning may be your community’s consulting engineer. Ask them if they are willing to be a resource and if you can include them as a contact for the replacement operator. They may also be able to assist you with updating your operation and maintenance plan.
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MNWARN. The Minnesota Water and Wastewater Agency Response Network (MNWARN) is a mutual aid network for water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities in Minnesota which has the capability to provide a certified operator via mutual aid from another community. MNWARN has the added advantage of being a statewide network which can bring in resources from other regions of the state if needed due to a local outbreak. There is no cost to join MNWARN and no obligation to respond to requests for assistance. If you’d like more information please see the MNWARN website at http://www.mnwarn.org/ or call your assigned regional director (available at http://www.mnwarn.org/abount-mnwarn).
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Other Mutual Aid Agreements. Permittees can also consider planning through other local mutual aid agreements and/or the Minnesota Statewide Public Works Mutual Aid Agreement. This is a Joint Powers Agreement that specifically allows a requesting party to select the resources that best meets the needs of a given situation. There is no membership or other fixed cost to participate in this agreement.
In the unlikely event that you find yourself without an available certified operator and unable to attain one via the suggestions above, contact the Minnesota State Duty Officer at 1-800-422-0798 and ask for the MPCA “on-call” emergency responder to evaluate options.
Thank you for the important work you do and for taking the time to plan for contingencies during this pandemic. Your work and pre-planning is essential to ensuring environmental and public health protection now and in the future.
The MPCA has canceled all Wastewater and Collection System Operator training events through May 14, 2020. The list of canceled workshops includes the May 12–14 Stabilization Pond Seminar in New Ulm.
Type IV (Land Application of Biosolids) Refresher
The in-person classroom Refresher workshop for Type IV operators scheduled for May 28 has also been canceled, but we are evaluating our ability to deliver the Type IV refresher online sometime in June, 2020. Details on this offering will be shared in mid-May and posted to the MPCA Wastewater Training and Certification webpage. Please provide your feedback to us if you receive a request to conduct a survey about the possibility of online training options, which will influence if and how we make this offering available.
Thank you for your continued patience as we work to adjust to these uncertainties. Stay up to date on MPCA Certification and Training news here: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/covid-19/certifications-trainings-and-covid-19#wastewater
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recently posted interim guidance called Implementing Safety Practices for Critical Infrastructure Workers Who May Have Had Exposure to a Person with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19. The guidance can be found on the CDC’s website. Please note that the MPCA does not have a role in interpreting or updating this interim guidance. We just want to make sure that you and your utilities are receiving accurate and timely information. Any questions related to this interim guidance should be directed to the CDC.
Thank you for the continued critical work and services that you provide to the citizens of Minnesota!
Commendation certificates on the way
Due to the cancellation of the Wastewater Operations Conference that was scheduled to be held in March, the MPCA did not get the opportunity to present the Wastewater Treatment Facility Operational Awards for the 2019 review year.
The MPCA will be working on mailing these awards in the next 6-8 weeks.
Almost 1000 facilities were evaluated to receive the award and 310 of those earned the commendation.
The MPCA sincerely appreciates the considerable effort that Permittees and operators put forth to protect and preserve water quality. It is this kind of work that has enabled Minnesota to achieve a significant reduction of pollution coming from point sources and which helps ensure safe, usable water resources going into the future.
Congratulations!
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Send in ALL Water Quality Submittals electronically
The MPCA is encouraging you to send correspondence electronically to provide a more efficient response while reducing the need for paper. You can send in your submittals electronically to the electronic WQ Submittals at: wq.submittals.mpca@state.mn.us.
Previously, Pretreatment Annual reports and Whole Effluent Toxicity Tests (WET Tests) could not be submitted electronically; however, we will temporarily accept them during the peacetime emergency.
Follow these easy steps:
- Fill out the WQ Submittals form:
www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/wq-wwprm7-71.docx
- Attach the form and submittal to your email
- Send the email by the due date.
This process can be used for all permit submittals other than the permit application and check. Those should still be submitted through regular mail.
The MPCA will continue to process regular mail received through the U.S. Postal Service and other delivery services. If you are mailing large files on an electronic device, for example permit applications, please send on a thumb (flash) drive rather than a CD.
All Project Priority List (PPL) applications should continue to be submitted to: PPL.Submittals.PCA@state.mn.us
If you have any questions about which documents can be submitted electronically or the process, please contact your assigned MPCA data manager or compliance staff person.
Be sure to revoke authorization for staff leaving service
Have an operator retire recently or other change that resulted in new staff submitting eDMRs? Please submit the form at this link to revoke an individual’s authorization to submit eDMR data for a facility: https:/www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/wq-wwprm7-100b.doc.
In order for additional people to have access and submit DMRs, please follow these easy steps:
Easy to follow account management instructions can be found on the MPCA Discharge Monitoring Reports webpage.
If you need help with eDMRs
For help with eDMRs and other compliance issues, please contact your assigned MPCA data manager or compliance staff person.
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The MPCA Smart Salting training program offers certification trainings for winter maintenance and property management professionals seeking to maintain safe surfaces using less salt. Find Smart Salting trainings that meet your needs this summer: such as Property Management, Parking Lots & Sidewalks, Roads or the Organizational Smart Salting Assessment Tool training. Near-term trainings are exclusively online. Ones later this summer may be offered online or in person.
All participants present at the end of each training must pass the online test to get certified. Certificates and evaluations will be sent electronically.Registration is required and can be found on: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/smart-salting-training-calendar. General questions can be directed to smartsalting.pca@state.mn.us.
Identify certified public and private individuals at the MPCA Smart Salting trainings page. MPCA also provides a free, online Smart Salting Assessment Tool filled with 180 best management practices, and offers a calculator for monitoring and projecting potential salt reduction and cost savings.
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MPCA Turfgrass Maintenance Certification Trainings
We recognize it is common for winter maintenance professionals to occasionally or fully work well into the summer on turfgrass maintenance.
Many of the common practices in the industry (fertilizer and pesticide use, irrigation and mowing techniques) have had significant impacts on our water resources.
Participants gain immediate practical knowledge on how to lower their environmental impact and save money while not sacrificing turf quality.
What you'll learn at these turfgrass maintenance training sessions:
- Environmental impacts of common turf BMPs
- Equipment calibration and improved mowing techniques
- Selection and application of fertilizers and pesticides
- Legal issues to consider
Who should participate?
- Private/public park, cemetery, city and/or school grounds maintenance professionals
- Property managers writing contracts
- Turf care product distributors
See the Turfgrass Maintenance Training calendar for opportunities this summer.
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Save the Date! 20th Annual Salt Symposium Aug. 5-6, 2020
Mark your calendars for the 20th Annual Salt Symposium in Medina, MN, on Aug. 5-6, 2020.
Topics: The latest chloride research and innovations, water softening, dust control, fertilizers, and more.
There is a unique opportunity to stay and take advantage of either a 'Roads' or 'Parking Lots and Sidewalks' Smart Salting training offered the next day!
Registration for the symposium opens soon. They are also accepting Salt Symposium Leadership Award nominations. Visit the Salt Symposium website for more information.
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Sign up for Smart Salting news
Sign up to receive the new MPCA Smart Salting Update newsletter for smart salting training news, success stories, and free resources for managing public awareness of chloride issues.
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Amendments cover new tank inspection requirement, when SDS permit needed for large systems
The MPCA is finalizing the agency's responses to comments received during the public notice period earlier this winter for a proposed change to the state's septic system rules. The change will then undergo final reviews and approvals by the administrative law judge assigned to the change, the MPCA commissioner, and governor's office.
Roughly 30 comments were received during the public notice period. There were four requests for a public hearing overseen by the administrative law judge. This was below the minimum of 25 requests needed to schedule a public hearing.
One change increases flexibility in determining need for state discharge permit for larger septic systems with flows in the range of 10,000 gallons per day
Under existing rules, a facility can measure its actual wastewater flows or use “table values” — values stated in rule for various types and sizes of facilities — to design a new SSTS. But in situations where measurements show a flow less than the 10,000-gallon-per-day (gpd) permit threshold but table values indicate a flow greater than 10,000 gpd, an SDS permit is required rather than a local permit. The rule change would allow facilities to use the lesser of measured flows vs. table values when determining the need for an SDS permit.
A few years ago the state adopted a change that allowed this flexibility to seasonal facilities such as campgrounds that operate for less than 180 days a year. This change extends this option (with some exceptions) to most other facilities with large septic systems that operate in the range of 10,000 gpd or more.
Second change requires septic tanks be empty for inspections
This change requires septic system professionals to first empty a septic tank when inspecting it for water-tightness.
This change and other important changes we make in the state’s septic system program are driven by our agency’s mission of protecting human health and the environment. The process involves extensive consultation with our county partners as well as the onsite septic system education/training program at the University of Minnesota, and with MOWA, the Minnesota Onsite Wastewater Association which represents those in the septic system trades.
The current rules are silent on minimum requirements for inspecting a septic tank and this is one of the reasons we are recommending this change. A common complaint we get from industry professionals is some inspectors do less when inspecting a tank than would be best for the homeowner. Amending the rule would level the playing field in this regard and raise the bar on the quality of inspection homeowners can expect regardless of who they hire to do the work.
Some counties already have this requirement as they recognize you cannot do an adequate inspection of a tank without pumping the tank. Amending the rule would make this a statewide requirement.
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