Many communities use bio-augmentation, enzyme, or bug products in their lift stations to manage fats, oil and grease or in their stabilization ponds to reduce sludge blanket depth. These products are considered chemical additives and every NPDES/ SDS permit requires written approval from the MPCA for use.

If your facility uses these products you should obtain approval for their use if you have not already done so. Contact your MPCA wastewater compliance staff if you’re unsure if your additive has been approved for use.

To request approval, complete an additive approval form (blue button below) for each additive you are using (note: this link will download a copy of the form to your computer).  The MPCA wants to know how many gallons/day, pounds/day, or gallons/week, pounds/week you’re using for each additive.

Provide the name of the additive or “bugs” product you’re using in the notes section of Button A.  For bio-augmentation/“bugs” additives, use a 100 percent removal rate in Button B of the attached chemical additive Excel spreadsheet. You do NOT need to fill out Button C for use of bio-augmentation additives. 

Remember to ‘Enable Content’ when you open the spreadsheet so you can enter information. Email the completed form(s) to additives.pca@state.mn.us.  If you have additional questions, contact Dann White  (651-757-2820).

Send ALL Water Quality Submittals electroncially

The MPCA is now accepting all Water Quality Submittals electronically to the email address below.

We encourage you to send all permit-required submittals, including Pretreatment Annual Reports and Whole Effluent Toxicity Tests (WET Tests), in electronically. This enables us to provide a more efficient response to those submittals, while reducing the need for paper and saving postage costs.

Send your submittals electronically to the electronic WQ Submittals Center at: wq.submittals.mpca@state.mn.us.

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 to the WQ Submittals Center by the due date.

This process can be used for all permit-required 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 for the time being. 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.

Keynote highlights Madison success story

The 2021 Salt Symposium will be held virtually again this year Aug. 3-4, covering the latest research on chloride and chloride sources, and new technology and innovation in salt reduction. You'll also get to connect with vendors, sponsors, and other participants. 

Day 1 will focus on water softening, fertilizer, and industries, starting off with "The Chloride Story of a Sewershed" presented by Emily Jones of the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District.

"Chloride levels have been on the rise in the Madison area due to water softener salt and road salt, and the District has been working to reduce chloride to achieve long-term permit compliance," says Jones. "The District has implemented and tested various strategies to reduce chloride, including outreach, training, and monetary incentives to businesses and homeowners. While this is the story of one sewershed, our chloride challenges and their solutions go far beyond its boundaries."

Day 2 will focus on the latest in winter maintenance research and technology.

Agenda/registration

The Symposium full agenda can be found  here. Content will stream both days live from 7:30 a.m. to about 3 p.m.  Check here for more information and/or to register. For event or registration questions, contact Doug Klimbal.

Free Smart Salting certification training offered to symposium participants

Those who register for the Salt Symposium may attend for free one of three Smart Salting certification trainings being offered online Aug. 5-6. These sessions teach best practices that help improve efficiency and reduce chloride pollution, while keeping roads, parking lots, and sidewalks safe.

Registration details for Smart Salting classes will be provided when registering for the Salt Symposium. Here are the certification trainings available to choose from:

Smart Salting for Property Management - Learn how reduce damages caused by salt both indoors and outdoors, how to know if your maintenance crew is using sustainable practices, dealing with liability, and other winter maintenance challenges.

Smart Salting for Roads – Learn to apply less salt safely on high/low speed road snowplow operations.

Smart Salting for Parking Lots and Sidewalks – Learn to apply less salt safely on private/public walkways and/or parking lots and service roads.

Watch our Smart Salting Training video to learn more about the classes we offer and how they can benefit your organization.

If you can’t make it to one of the free online certification trainings, there are many more Smart Salting online trainings offered in the coming months. Visit the MPCA Smart Salting training calendar  for more information and to register.

Symposium awards Pipestone special chloride reduction award for new water treatment plant

Organizers of the Salt Symposium have awarded the city of Pipestone a Chloride Reduction Leadership Award for its new water treatment plant that centrally treats for chloride, thus reducing chloride in discharges to surface waters resulting from the use of relatively inefficient water softeners in homes and businesses. 

Chlorides, which were not naturally present in the city's groundwater, were being added through the use of water softeners in homes and businesses throughout the city.  A new centralized lime softening facility softens water to 4-5 grains of hardness, compared to the previous hardness of 40 grains. The improved water quality has allowed users to either turn off or drastically reduce salt use in home water softeners.

Chloride concentrations in the city's wastewater discharge are now well below the NPDES permit limit. This improves stream water quality in Pipestone Creek, which is home to the endangered Topeka Shiner minnow. 

Even though the city is meeting its limits, they are going one additional step further to provide home inspections by plumbers to ensure that softeners that are still running are properly adjusted and not using excess salt, costing the consumer money and harming the environment.

Last year, the Pipestone project also received an AQUARIUS award that recognizes projects funded by the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund that focus on sustainability and protection of public health. Read about that award here. 

It's hot out now, but watch this cool Smart Salting video for when it gets cold

Winter may be a distant memory now, but it will make its way back and with it comes the tons of salt used each ice season. That salt not only damages infrastructure and vegetation, it also pollutes our valuable lakes, streams, and groundwater.

To help reduce the amount of salt going into our lakes and rivers, the MPCA offers a certification training class for property managers, local government decision-makers, and environmental professionals to learn how to save money and protect water resources using less salt while maintaining safe paved surfaces. Click on the Smart Salting Video button to learn more.