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Wednesday, September 24, 2008

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City's wastewater plant gets permit from MPCA board

By MATT ERICKSON

Staff Writer

After being delayed more than a year after a series of setbacks, the proposed expansion of Brainerd's wastewater treatment facility is back on track.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Citizens' Board on Tuesday unanimously approved issuing the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and State Disposal System permit to Brainerd Public Utilities for a $30 million wastewater treatment facility expansion project, which also will service Baxter.

Groups opposed have 30 days to appeal the board's decision.

Bill Wroolie, Brainerd Public Utilities Commission chairman who gave a statement at the citizens' board meeting, said the PUC would rebid the project in October pending the outcome of the appeal process.

Brainerd's wastewater treatment facility is one step closer to a planned expansion after the city received approval for its permit for the new facility Tuesday from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Citizens' Board. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey
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"I think this is a big, big step," Wroolie said. "Brainerd and Baxter have come together, are working together as a team and I say let's go forward and get it done."

Baxter Mayor Darrel Olson, who attended Tuesday's meeting with Baxter Public Works Director Trevor Walter, said he was pleased with the board's decision.

"Again, we're not out of the woods but it's another step in the right direction," Olson said.

Construction on the wastewater treatment facility expansion was scheduled to begin in the spring of 2007, with operation beginning in 2009.

The permit was needed in order for Brainerd Public Utilities to expand the wastewater treatment facility from treating 3.6 million gallons of wastewater a day to 6 million gallons a day. Baxter contracts with Brainerd to use the treatment facility and will pay a third of the expansion costs. Both cities intend to use sales tax proceeds to help pay for the project.

In July 2007, the citizens' board delayed a decision on Brainerd's permit application after it was discovered there were elevated levels of perfluorooctane sulfonates at the existing wastewater treatment facility. In August 2007 Brainerd Public Utilities found the source of the pollutant and corrected the problem.

Meeting Tuesday in St. Paul, the citizens' board took testimony from Wroolie, MPCA officials from Baxter and representatives of Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, an environmental group opposed to the expansion.

Reading from a prepared statement, Wroolie told the board the wastewater treatment facility upgrade was critical because the current treatment plant, designed for 20 years service, was now 27 years old and had reached its capacity; the current plant uses outdated technology; it would enable homes on septic systems to be connected to city sewer; and without the permit expansion, growth in both cities would be hindered and further erode local economic conditions and job opportunities.

Wroolie was joined at the meeting by fellow PUC member Don Samuelson, Don Stang and Don Sievek. Brainerd City Council member Bonnie Cumberland, a former PUC board member, also attended.

Both Wroolie and Samuelson praised the MPCA for its work in making sure the proposed expansion met state and federal standards.

"Finally, after a long delay, we're ready to go," Samuelson said. "We're sort of back, in one way, to square one. We've got to get our ducks in order and do it right."

In opposition to the permit, the MCEA questioned whether the expanded wastewater treatment facility qualified as a new wastewater discharge as opposed to an existing discharge; if there was application of nondegradation rules to the proposed expansion; and whether water quality based effluent limits in addition to those already included in the permit are required due to alleged phosphorus impacts from the discharge.

However, the MPCA found the expanded wastewater treatment facility has demonstrated that it will comply with all applicable state and federal regulatory requirements and will not result in pollution, impairment or destruction of natural resources.

Barring an appeal, Brainerd Public Works Superintendent Tom Phelps said construction bids and a financial agreement with Baxter will be completed this year and construction will begin in early spring of 2009 with a projected completion date of 2011.

"We're ready to go," Phelps said. "I think I've got five years in this project already ... and we're finally on to something different now with construction."

MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.

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