Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Media contact: Forrest Peterson, 320-214-3789 Technical contact: Larry Gunderson, 651-297-3825 St. Paul, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has developed a plan to help improve water quality in the lower Minnesota River by increasing dissolved oxygen during low flow periods. A draft implementation plan is available for public review and comment through Monday, Oct. 3, 2005. The plan is the result of a Total Maximum Daily Load study for the lower 22 miles of the Minnesota River. Studies such as these determine the amount of a pollutant that a water body can handle and still meet the required standard. The lower Minnesota River does not meet the standard for dissolved oxygen during low flow periods. The TMDL study determines the causes and suggests possible solutions. The draft implementation plan lays out the strategies to meet the goals of the TMDL. It identifies four pollution sources: wastewater treatment facilities, direct discharges of sewage, stormwater, and agriculture. All of these contribute phosphorus, a nutrient that feeds algae growth. Low dissolved oxygen can result from bacteria consuming decaying algae. Wastewater treatment facilities
Discharges into the Minnesota River and tributaries from point sources, such as municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities, are regulated by state and federal permits. A new, basin-wide permit for phosphorus calls for a 35 percent reduction among the 40 largest facilities by 2010. Larger facilities will be required to meet phosphorus effluent limits or engage in pollutant trading in which a facility above the limit may be able to "buy" credit for treatment from a facility that is below the limit. Smaller facilities will not be subject to a limit under the phosphorus permit unless they expand. Stormwater
Communities, industries, or construction sites with stormwater permits will submit Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans as part of their permit requirements, adding measures to their plans to reduce phosphorus. Reductions from nonpermitted communities will rely on education and voluntary measures. Direct discharges of sewage
Some sewage collection systems discharge untreated or under-treated sewage at the surface or via a pipe to a ditch or stream. The plan calls for locating direct discharges of sewage and fixing them, enhancing assistance for small unsewered communities, and promoting loan funding for homeowners with private systems that need improvement. Agriculture
Agricultural practices that reduce phosphorus will have a limited impact because runoff is minimal during low flow conditions. Agricultural practices promoted as a part of this TMDL reduce runoff during higher flow times, increasing the amount of water that soaks into the ground during dry periods. This temporarily stored groundwater seeps back into the river and increases the flow during medium and low flow periods. Two main practices are leaving crop residue on fields and protecting open tile intakes. The implementation plan allows 10 years to do the work for most activities. It allows up to 20 years for stormwater system improvements in urban areas due to replacement costs. It follows the Lower Minnesota River Dissolved Oxygen TMDL Report, which was approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in September 2004. To submit comments or ask questions about the implementation plan contact Larry Gunderson, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 520 Lafayette Rd., St. Paul, MN 55155, larry.gunderson@state.mn.us, 651-297-3825. The TMDL report and draft implementation plan are available on the Web at: hhref="/water/basins/mnriver/mnriver-tmdl.html.