8.2. SR 09-19-2011 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~~ a~i MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Justin Femrite, P.E., City Engineer DATE: September 19, 201 I ITEM 8.2. SUBJECT: Update on MPCA Compliance Evaluation Inspection for the Wastewater Treatment Facility On August 29, 2011 the City of Elk River received a letter from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) which summarized a Compliance Evaluation completed at the Waste Water Treatment Facility by MPCA staff on August 10, 2011. I have attached a copy of the letter to this memo. There are two issues contained in the letter that I have provided clarification on below: 1. An effluent loading violation was reported in August 2010 with no violation reported since that time. This violation resulted from the issue of excess sludge building up in the final clarifier which resulted and affected the sand filters and various processes at the treatment plant. At the time, the wastewater staff applied additional staff resources and modified treatment processes to bring our discharge within the limits of our permit. As a permanent solution, on January 18, 2011, the City Council approved the necessary modifications to our waste sludge pump and control systems to control this issue in the future. These improvements were installed and have mitigated the issues that were experienced in August 2010. 2. During the August 10, 2011, inspection, the MPCA indicated there are a number of cluster developments within Elk River that own and operate their own cluster wastewater treatment systems. Many of these cluster system's current NPDES/SDS permits axe coming up for reissuance and are facing potential new limits that will be difficult to meet. The MPCA has indicated when these permits get reissued they will likely face limits on the amount of nitrates they can discharge to their drainfields. These cluster systems were not designed to adequately treat wastewater for nitrates. The process required for the treatment for nitrates is complex and extremely costly. The MPCA has inquired if the City of Elk River would consider allowing these cluster systems to hook up to the City sewer system. The MPCA is expected to begin meeting with the owners of these facilities and is only asking if this may be an option they can offer as a solution.