Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Technical contact: Dana Vanderbosch, (651) 297-1796 Media contact: Colleen Coyne, (651) 297-7363 St. Paul, Minn.-- Environmental review of a proposal to replace a lift station in an Oakdale sewer line is open for public review and comment from Oct. 10 to Nov. 10, 2005. An Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) prepared by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) describes potential impacts on land and water quality. The Metropolitan Council is proposing to replace a lift station that has reached the end of its useful life with a station having the capacity to manage wastewater from the growing city of Oakdale. The proposal also includes installing 195 feet of pipe to connect the new station to an existing sewer line. These improvements will help the city meet its wastewater treatment needs for the next 20 years. The average daily capacity of the lift station will increase from 1.28 to 2.8 million gallons per day. The wastewater that flows through this station will continue to be sent to the Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Facility in St. Paul. The facility will be able to treat the additional wastewater because the increase will be gradual and has been planned for. Citizens can review and offer comments on the EAW during the 30-day comment period. The MPCA uses the comments to consider any additional environmental effects and to decide if an Environmental Impact Statement (a more comprehensive environmental review) is needed. Comments on this EAW should be submitted to the MPCA in writing by 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2005 to: Dana Vanderbosch, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Road North, St. Paul, MN 55155-4194, or by fax to (651) 296-7782. Copies of the EAW are available for review at:
· MPCA St. Paul office, 520 Lafayette Road North
· Washington County Library, 8595 Central Park Place, Woodbury
· MPCA Web site at hhref="/news/eaw/index.html
· Ramsey County Library, 4570 N. Victoria Street, Shoreview
Copies may also be requested directly from the MPCA by calling Jennifer Olson at (651) 297-8611. More information about the project is available from Dana Vanderbosch at (651) 297-1796, or toll-free/TTY at (800) 657-3864.