Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

FOR RELEASE: Jan. 18, 2006 Media Contact: Dan Olson, 218-846-7390 EAW Contact: Susan Heffron, 651-297-1766 Permit Contact: Holly Borash, 218-846-0775 Toll-free: 1-800-657-3864 Detroit Lakes, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has scheduled a public meeting on a permit and Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) for a proposed expansion and upgrade of the Alexandria Lakes Area Sanitary District's wastewater treatment facility. The meeting will be Wednesday, Jan. 25, at the Alexandria Technical College, 1601 Jefferson Street. An open house will be held from 6:15 to 6:45 p.m., followed by a short presentation and a question and answer period. The public comment period for the EAW and permit ends Feb. 16. The Alexandria Lakes Area Sanitary District (ALASD) is proposing to improve, replace and add equipment to increase the capacity of its facility from 3.75 million gallons of wastewater per day to 4.7 million gallons a day in order to accommodate Alexandria's future growth. The average daily flow of wastewater to the facility has increased from about 2.5 million gallons per day in 2002 to 2.9 million gallons in 2005. The EAW is a preliminary environmental review of how a proposed project could potentially affect the environment. The EAW also helps the MPCA determine if an Environmental Impact Statement (a more in-depth environmental review) is needed. An EAW was not required for this project but the sanitary district chose to complete one voluntarily. The MPCA may make changes to the permit based on input it receives during the public comment period and/or on new information gathered as part of its own review of the project. Additional details about the ALASD wastewater permit are available on the MPCA Web site at hhref="/news/data/index.cfm?PN=1. Comments regarding the permit should be submitted in writing by 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 16 to Holly Borash, MPCA, 714 Lake Avenue Plaza, Suite 220, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501, or by fax to 218-846-0439. Comments on the EAW should be submitted in writing by the same date to Susan Heffron, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Road North, St. Paul, MN 55155, or by fax to 651-297-8676. A copy of the EAW is available for review on the Web at hhref="/news/eaw/index.html. Additional information on the environmental review process is available on the Web at hhref="/newscenter/background.html.