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Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMR)

New eDMRs

Please read about the IMPORTANT CHANGES to DMR reporting in the following letter:

Guidance for reporting nondetect values on the Discharge Monitoring Reports has been revised. Please read the following memo:

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Water Quality permit writers provide the following Permit User’s Manual – March 2005, which includes definitions from the NPDES/SDS permits and some guidance on Discharge Monitoring Report completion. The manual does not replace the Guide to Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) – June 2000.

What is a DMR?

Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) forms are provided by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) for reporting monitoring results required by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)/State Disposal System (SDS) permit for a wastewater treatment system. These forms are 8 ½ x 11 gray and white and are generated directly from the limits and monitoring requirements in the permit. DMRs, other than those provided by the MPCA, must be identical to those provided by the MPCA in order to satisfy the reporting requirements of the permit and must be preapproved by a Pollution Control Data Specialist.

Supplemental Report Forms

Supplemental Report Forms may also be required for detailed monitoring results. You may use your own supplemental forms for reporting more detailed data without MPCA approval provided all required identifying information is present on the form.

Uniform reporting allows the MPCA to conform to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for consistent, nation-wide reporting. It also makes it easier to process the submitted data more efficiently and to detect missing data.

Understanding the DMR

DMRs are generated after the original issuance of a new permit, final reissuance of an existing permit, modification of a permit which changes the monitoring requirements and/or permittee/facility name or address, and at one-year intervals based on the monitoring period end date of the last DMR. They are generated by the Pollution Control Data Specialist (PCDS) assigned to manage the data for your facility and will be sent within forty-five days of a permit action, or by the end of the month in which you are running out of the one-year supply. If you have not received forms within one week before the date the first report is due, please contact one of the PCDS staff listed below.

The forms are generated directly from the permit with the permittee name, permit number, station information, limits and monitoring requirements for each specific monitoring period unique to each facility. This gives the permittee an easy to follow list of all the monitoring required by your NPDES permit. Do not alter or interchange these forms in any way.

They will come grouped by Station (alphanumeric) and should be separated by the monitoring period upon receipt. This will ensure all required forms are submitted in a timely manner. For example, the permit may require ground water monitoring (GW stations), effluent/discharge monitoring (SD stations), and influent monitoring (WS stations). Each station type will come grouped together. After separating them, there should be a specific set of forms for each monitoring period.

How to Complete Your DMR

To fill out the DMRs properly be sure to have all necessary recordings (i.e., flows, precipitation) and analytical results. All of this data should be recorded on the Supplemental Report Form, if required, or the forms you use to record your daily operations data. Calculations will be required so it’s a good idea to have the Guide to Discharge Monitoring Report Forms (DMRs) June 2000 (see the Guide at the end of this section below) or a summarized version and phone numbers for assistance.

Determine that you have ALL of the forms for the correct monitoring period. Check the name and address, station information and the monitoring period on each form. Be sure each form is signed by the authorized agent of the permit and the operator/plant manager unless you solely have been designated to sign. (A letter must be on file at the MPCA with this authorization.) Date each form and, if applicable, provide your operator certification number.

These forms are generated directly from the NPDES permit and will have specific monitoring requirements for each specific monitoring period. The gray boxes will have the value type and numeric limit if one applies. Quantity and concentration units are to the right of their respective columns for each parameter. Values should always be reported in these units. Values must be recorded above each of these boxes in the blank white boxes when there is activity at the monitoring station. If a box contains asterisks, no value is required.

The last two columns at the far right of each form are to confirm that sampling is being completed at the same frequency and sample type as required by your NPDES permit. If it is the same as indicated in the gray portions in each of these two columns, simply check the blank white boxes above. If the frequency or sample type is different, the actual frequency or sample type must be indicated in the blank white box.

If there is no activity, the “No Flow” or “No Discharge” box at the top of the form should be checked and no values recorded at the station. EXCEPTION: (If the permit requires a calculated calendar year average effluent total phosphorus, this must be recorded on the DECEMBER SD Station form even if there is no discharge.) 

DO NOT use “N/A” without providing an explanation of why something is not being reported. DO NOT use “ND” or “BDL” for nondetect values. Follow the MPCA NPDES Data Reporting Memo -- April 2005 . (i.e., a less than sign followed by the laboratory’s detection limit, typically referred to as the reporting limit [RL].)  

The Supplemental Report Form must have all recordings and analytical results recorded on the date they were taken. You only need to use the row at the bottom for totaling if a total is required on the DMR (i.e., flows, precipitation) or you need an average. You may find it helpful to write the calendar month average results at the bottom of this form also. Minimum and maximum values can be highlighted or circled if you find this useful when transferring the data to the DMR form.

Begin by recording flows and concentration values on the DMR. Proceed to the percent removal (if applicable) and loading calculations. BE SURE to report fecal coliform as a geometric mean. All of these calculation formulas can be found in the "Guide to Discharge Monitoring Report Forms (DMRs)" available in the bulleted list below. Or, if assistance is needed, please do not hesitate to call the staff listed below.  

When Are Discharge Monitoring Reports Due?

Accurate, timely reporting is essential in complying with the NPDES permit. DMRs are due postmarked by the 21st of the month following the monitoring period. (e.g., January’s DMR is due February 21st.)

Send the original DMR with the Supplemental Report Form (if applicable) to:

MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY
520 Lafayette Road
St. Paul , MN 55155-4194
ATTENTION: Discharge Monitoring Report

All other permit-required submittals should be sent to ATTENTION: WQ Submittals.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Q: What should I do if my DMRs are missing parameters or look different than I think they should?

 A: Be sure to look at the most current permit limits and monitoring requirements. The requirements on the forms should be identical to those listed on the limits and monitoring pages of your most current permit. If they are different, contact the Pollution Control Data Specialist staff below immediately. If you have sampled something that is not required by your permit, or you are waiting for corrected forms and wish to submit your report right away, write the parameter sampled, monitoring location, frequency, sample type and units and value type at the bottom of the DMR or in the Comments portion of the Supplemental Report Form.

Q: Do I still have to submit forms for monitoring locations where there is no activity?

 A: Yes. If the monitoring location (station) is listed in your permit, you should have a form for it. All forms must be submitted for each station. If there is no activity, the “No Flow” or “No Discharge” box at the top of the form should be checked.

Q: Can I send my daily value data in on my own computer form?

A: Yes, you are allowed to submit your own form. It must have all the information that is requested on the MPCA’s Supplemental Report Form pertinent to your permit.

Q: Where do I report my predischarge monitoring for our wastewater pond?

A: Predischarge monitoring results are no longer required to be reported. You may record them on the Supplemental Report Form if you find it a convenient place to keep the information. You should always circle or highlight and label the data as “predischarge” and be sure not to include it when summarizing your discharge data.

Q: On my DMR there is more than one blank for a parameter I am only required to sample once. Which box do I fill in?

A: ALL blank white boxes should be filled in. You may only be required to sample (e.g., pH once per month) but that one sample must be compared to both its lower (minimum) limit and its upper (maximum) limit. If you only sample once but the DMR requires a calendar month average and a daily maximum, record the single value in BOTH blank white boxes.

Q: I missed my quarterly influent sampling for April – June. Can I make it up in July?

A: Missed sampling in one monitoring period cannot be made up in another monitoring period. The enforcement staff assigned to your facility may ask you to take additional samples in the new quarter, but this data should be reported in the monitoring period in which it was taken. Additional sampling will not remove the violations generated for the missed sampling in the previous monitoring period. Samples may be taken anytime during the 90-day monitoring period and recorded on the Supplemental Report Form (SRF) on the day they were taken, but they must be transferred to the DMR at the end of the quarter. (e.g., Sample taken April 22nd must be recorded on the April SRF and transferred to the June DMR.)

eDMRs — New

The MPCA accepts DMRs via electronic submittal.  This is a voluntary process.  Permittees must sign-up prior to their first submittal.  The sign-up process involves submitting a document signed by the permit owner that designates who is responsible for electronic submittal.  The wastewater operator is not required to complete the electronic submittal, but is responsible for the operation of the wastewater facility, including sampling, process operation, and DMR calculations.

We recommend signing up for eDMRs at least 2-3 weeks before you are required to submit a DMR.  After you sign up for eDMRs and at least one week prior to submitting your first eDMR, you should verify that the system allows the eDMR submittal.  You can do this by logging on to the system, accessing an available eDMR and submitting the form.

Guidance Documents

Supplemental Report Forms

onlineservices Electronic Discharge Monitoring Report (eDMR) Sign-up and Submittal

eDMR Assistance: Contact any of the Pollution Control Data Specialists for Assistance.

eDMRs of the Future — New and Improved

Coming in 2012 — Daily Values!

MPCA staff continue work on a process for permittees to submit their daily value (unsummarized) data electronically.  Permittees will complete a daily values form on-line (similar to a supplemental form) and submit the form.  The data from the completed form will be summarized in an on-line eDMR.  All the calculations will be completed for you.  You will be able to review the eDMR form prior to its submittal.  If you believe there is an error in the eDMR form, you will be able to return to the daily values screen to verify that the daily values data is correct.  If the data is incorrect, you will be able to revise the data and resubmit the daily values form and create a revised eDMR form.  Once you are satisfied with the eDMR form, you click to submit it and your report process is complete.  As with the current eDMR process, you will receive an email that verifies submittal completion.

We know you are interested in this process and have concerns and ideas about how it should work. We met with some permittees and intend to meet with more permittees in a variety of ways – regional meetings, webinars, teleconferences, etc. – and will continue to provide information in a variety of ways – email, letter, etc. We will use this web page to post meeting notes that might be of interest to you, examples of current forms and new eDMR screens, and meeting/webinar/teleconference schedules.

We understand daily values and electronic submittal will be new to many permittees.  We hope to make the process as seamless as possible.  We hope you see the benefits of the daily values project:

  • No more worries about the mail!
  • The system calculates the DMR summary data.
  • You can access your submitted daily values and DMRs at any time in the future.
  • You can amend them, too!

eDMRs of the future questions?  Contact Deb Lindlief at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 218-302-6652.

Assistance

If you have questions concerning monthly Discharge Monitoring Report forms, contact any of the following Pollution Control Data Specialists:

  • This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , 507-476-4252
  • This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 651-757-2613
  • This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 651-757-2692
  • This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , 651-757-2329
Last modified on Thursday, March 08, 2012 16:14
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