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A Metropolitan Council <br />AI <br />Regional Benchmarks <br />Measuring Our Progress <br />2011 Update <br />4. Environment <br />• Water Quality <br />Goal: The quality of the water leaving the metro area is as good as the water's quality <br />entering the metro area and in compliance with federal and state regulations. <br />Baseline and Targets <br />Total Phosphorus <br />Total Nitrogen <br />Total Suspended <br />Solids <br />2000 Baseline Input <br />(in tons per year) <br />4,380 <br />80,800 <br />1,320,000 <br />2000 Baseline Output <br />(in tons per year) <br />3,840 <br />80,900 <br />956,000 <br />2000 Baseline Difference <br />(in tons per year) <br />-540 (-12 percent) <br />100 (0 percent) <br />-364,000 (-28 <br />percent) <br />2030 Target <br />Output is no more than in 2000 <br />and output -input difference is held to 0. <br />Due to the Twin Cities' location at the northern end of the Mississippi River, Metropolitan <br />Council wastewater treatment plants must meet stringent Environmental Protection Agency <br />(EPA) operating standards. The Council's treatment plants continue to have a near -perfect <br />compliance record, while maintaining rates that are lower than the average for similar -sized <br />sanitary districts. Total Phosphorus <br />Wastewater treatment 5 - A 193% <br />plants in the region and <br />regulations on industrial 4 <br />wastewater are succeeding H 73, 7.6% 85' ,,, 10 <br />A <br />at removing pollution from 0 3- A A 5 <br />the wastewater stream. <br />However, water quality is . 2 0 - 0 <br />also affected by nonpoint 0 -58% <br />pollution sources (both 0 A -5 <br />urban and agricultural) and 1o <br />1 -123% -11 0% <br />-10 <br />year-to-year climate „ co co. r r <br />V M M M M M N M N M N N N N N N N N <br />variations. o <br />-0.4 % <br />20 <br />15 <br />-15 <br />ocu <br />a) <br />a <br />2000 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 <br />The indicators for Input Output Target Load % Difference <br />phosphorus, nitrogen, and <br />suspended solids are determined by taking the sum of the loads from the Minnesota River at <br />Jordan, the Rum River in Anoka, the Mississippi River in Anoka, and the St. Croix River in <br />Stillwater, and comparing them to the load at the Mississippi River near Red Wing. Optimally, <br />the difference between the output and input mass would be zero or less. However, there is a <br />statistical uncertainty of about ±10 percent on both the input and output mass, and pollutant <br />loading varies from year to year. Use of a 10-year median as an indicator helps to minimize, <br />though not eliminate, variability from annual climate differences and other natural sources. <br />14 <br />