Agenda - Council - 03/10/2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Planning for wastewater reuse will also address key implementation challenges; including: (1) cost and financing of a reclaimed water distribution system; (2) integration of another water source into the municipal water systems across the region; (3) pricing protocol(s) that captures as much value as reasonably possible; and (4) streamlining the regulatory permitting process to move from a "one project, one customer, one permit" approach to a "systems" approach. In summary, the Council's preliminary plan for wastewater reuse is to: 1. Increase wastewater reuse within Council wastewater treatment facilities - that is, lead by example 2. Implement groundwater recharge and irrigation (for example, golf courses) in East Bethel as a demonstration project for the region 3. Pursue wastewater reuse for industrial cooling water, where feasible 4. Collaborate with the University of Minnesota to demonstrate wastewater reuse at UMore Park Develop and implement a plan to address the key implementation challenges associated with a nonpotable water system for toilet flushing and irrigation uses, and 6. Integrate nonpotable water systems into plans for future regional wastewater reclamation facilities. Regulatory Scenarios for Wastewater Treatment The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency establishes water quality standards for surface waters (lakes and rivers) and discharge limits for wastewater treatment plants. Current discharge limits for the Council's treatment plants include 1 mg/I for phosphorus and seasonal limits on ammonia nitrogen and organics. Water quality has improved due to the reduced pollutant discharges from wastewater treatment plants. However, long-term water quality goals established by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will require substantial reduction of pollution from urban stormwater, agricultural runoff, and streambank erosion. Federal law focuses compliance and enforcement authority on point sources of pollutant discharge - that is, wastewater treatment plants and urban stormwater systems. As a result, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency may impose more stringent discharge limits on the Council and its customer communities. This section discusses the potential implications for the Council's wastewater treatment plants. Phosphorus. The Council's wastewater treatment plants currently average approximately 0.5 mg/I phosphorus and 250 million gallons per day flow. The Council has evaluated two regulatory scenarios. The first assumes that the Council's plants will have to meet a discharge limit of 0.3 mg/I phosphorus. This limit would require the plants to average approximately 0.2 mg/I phosphorus to ensure they comply with the limit. The second scenario assumes a discharge limit of 0.1 mg/I phosphorus, which is the limit of currently available wastewater treatment technology. The 0.3 mg/I phosphorus limit has been discussed as part of the process of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to establish a limit on the Total Maximum Daily Load of phosphorus into Lake Pepin on the Mississippi River. However, the 0.1 mg/I phosphorus limit equals the phosphorus water quality standard for the Mississippi River being considered by the 43