Open enrollment ends this Wednesday
 The deadline to enroll in annual benefits open enrollment is this Wednesday, November 16. This is your opportunity to make benefit changes, like reviewing your clinic cost level or electing to contribute to pre-tax accounts. Visit the Lorax for more information.
Lights, camera, action
Wednesday, November 16, Mike Soe may be recording with Katrina Kessler and Peter Tester in the 4th floor break area for the upcoming Voyageurs and Continuous Improvement Awards. The time ranges from 8:30-11:30 a.m.
So if you see filming going on, please limit noise and traffic to this area during this time. Thanks for your help.
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Employee Engagement Survey: Findings and strategies will be shared in early 2023
More than 580 MPCA employees participated in the 2022 Employee Engagement Survey and shared their opinions about who we are, what we do, what we value, and most importantly how we can work together to improve. That’s a 67% response rate which is right in line with the 2020 survey results, remaining constant even with the pandemic.
Engaged employees are motivated to show up to work every day and do everything within their power to help their companies succeed. Drivers of engagement can be discerned from answers to questions focused on three areas, career path/potential, communication (being kept informed), and personal recognition. Visit the Lorax for a few findings from the survey and how the findings and employee recommendations will drive strategies to increase engagement levels.
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New Contract/Grant, Amendment and Requests for Proposals online service
A new internal MPCA online service is available for submitting Contract/Grant, Amendment and Request for Proposals (RFP) requests into Tempo for approval. This online service has been designed to be a user-friendly method of capturing information that will then be pushed into Tempo for processing. For more details, visit the Lorax.
Learn about the Employee Mentorship Program
The MPCA Mentor Program was piloted in 2019-20 as a Leadership Academy project by Michelle Oie. It was so successful Michelle received a Gordie Award for her efforts. The program is currently looking for staff who are interested in becoming mentors and mentees. The program is a 10-month commitment. This includes training and meeting with your mentor/mentee once per month for nine months.
Informational meetings are being offered to find out more about the program:
More information about the program can be found on the Lorax.
Lafayette Park Choral Ensemble rehearsals
The newly formed Lafayette Park Choral Ensemble (LPCE) will be rehearsing on the following date:
- Tuesday, November 29, noon-1 p.m., MPCA Room 100
- Tuesday, December 6, noon-1 p.m., MPCA LL West
- Wednesday, December 14, noon-1 p.m., MPCA Room 100
And save the date for the choral's performance with MPCA's Lafayette Park Orchestra on Tuesday, December 20, noon-1 p.m., MPCA Cafeteria in St. Paul.
Send us your photos!
Here's another awesome photo we received for this year's Voyageur Awards and the Awards for Continuous Improvement and Innovation ceremony slide show.
Claudia Hochstein and her partner Eric on a walk through Patapsco River State Park in Maryland. Claudia is a rule coordinator in the Resource Management and Assistance Division.
Send your photo(s) and a description to the MPCA mail box.
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Springsteel Island Sanitary District pays $10,000 for discharging too much phosphorus from wastewater treatment facility
According to an MPCA enforcement investigation, Springsteel Island Sanitary District discharged phosphorus at levels that exceeded its permit on more than 30 occasions since 2013. The district operates a municipal wastewater treatment facility near Warroad. The facility discharges to a nearby wetland that flows into Lake of the Woods, which is on MPCA’s list of impaired waters for nutrients, namely phosphorus. An MPCA staff inspection also discovered that the facility failed to comply with permitted effluent limits and lacked a required phosphorus management plan.
In addition to paying a $10,000 civil penalty to the MPCA, Springsteel Island Sanitary District is completing a series of corrective actions. Read more.
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Microaggressions training make-up session
Tuesday, November 15, 2-4 p.m. Join Teams meeting.
Wednesday, November 23, 1-3 p.m. Join Teams meeting.
Microaggressions often manifest through indirect, subtle, or unintentional behaviors or statements that do not necessarily reflect malicious intent, but can still create a hostile or discriminatory environment for groups or individuals. This training will go beyond the surface of changing superficial language and get at the beliefs and cultures that support microaggressions in the first place. Participants will also explore techniques for responding when someone has been microaggressive to enhance cultural responsiveness to provide a welcoming and inclusive workplace environment.
Transgender Awareness and Remembrance Week event
Wednesday, November 16, 1-2 p.m.
Transgender Awareness Week, November 13-19, is a week of collective action where transgender people and allies come together to amplify the voices, stories, and experiences of the community. Join your colleagues to watch a film that illuminates the experiences and lives of transgender individuals, as we raise visibility about transgender people and issues that members of the community face, as well as honor the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. Find out more on the Lorax.
Join Teams meeting.
Leadership Forum: Leadership means leading change
Thursday, November 17, 2-3:30 p.m.
Everyone is a leader at some time or another. In order to respond to shifts in their organizations, teams and individual environments a strong leader must make sure people see the need for change, embrace change and manage change. Leadership is about helping people. We will look at what change looks like, explore a process for dealing with change effectively, and collectively develop a Change Management plan for a theoretical organizational situation. Anyone and everyone in the agency are welcome to attend. Brought to you by Leadership Forum.
Join Teams meeting.
Minnesota tracking ‘forever chemicals’ in state’s drinking water, braces for changing regulations
The MPCA has authority over the $850 million 3M settlement money. The agency’s Assistant Commissioner Kirk Koudelka says the agency is aware of the possibility of changing regulations and science and how it could impact the allocation of settlement money. "...if the settlement money were to run out for some reason, 3M is still responsible to take care of the drinking water needs for the communities under the consent order," Koudelka said. — Fox9.com
Council discusses new PFAS testing requirements from the state
One of the topics of discussion at Monday evening’s City Council meeting was consideration of approval of a memorandum of understanding with the MPCA for the monitoring of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances — otherwise known as PFAS. “The City is required to monitor PFAS along with a number of other tests done to ensure the safety of the water system in the community,” noted City Manager Robert Wolfington.— Montevideo American News
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Last week in social media at the MPCA
Many people believe old, glass thermometers contain #mercury... this is *partially* true. Silver liquid thermometers often do, but red, blue, and black ones do not! 🌡️ Bring mercury-containing products to your nearest #HazardousWaste facility: https://bit.ly/3S3vvYY Facebook | Twitter
Environmentally friendly alternatives for businesses aren't out of reach! Businesses that want to become more sustainable have lots of options to choose from, from reducing energy use and waste to changing product formulations. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3FnhpOo Facebook
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