Engineering and technical information for construction or expansion

The MPCA's technical review and approval process for wastewater treatment facilities (WWTF) confirms that proposed WWTF projects will comply with state permits/rules and recognized engineering practices, and meet reliability criteria. To speed the review and approval of your design documents, please complete the applicable checklists from the list below and submit them with your plans and specifications.

Engineering/technical publications

• Antidegradation guidance (wq-wwprm2-65)
• General guidelines for the computation of the maximum authorized load for expansions of municipal wastewater treatment plants to satisfy antidegradation (wq-wwprm2-65a)
• Electronic submittal: Wastewater treatment facility construction record documents (wq-wwtp5-87)
• Design flow and loading determination guidelines for wastewater treatment plants (wq-wwtp5-20)
• Design flow and loading determination worksheets (wq-wwtp5-20a)
• Pilot testing for wastewater treatment facilities (wq-wwtp5-88)
• Reliability for activated sludge and fixed film reactor wastewater treatment facilities (wq-wwtp5-66)
• 10 States Standards. Recommended standards for wastewater facilities; Great Lakes-Upper Mississippi River Board of State and Provincial Health and Environmental Managers
• Wastewater treatment facility optimization for phosphorus removal (wq-wwtp9-03)
• Phosphorus treatment and removal technologies (wq-wwtp9-02)

Ponds

• Recommended pond design criteria (wq-wwtp5-53)
• High density polyethylene liner guidance (wq-wwtp5-32)
• Polyvinyl chloride liner guidance (wq-wwtp5-60)
• Riprap criteria for stabilization ponds (wq-wwtp5-95)
• Prefill and water balance criteria (wq-wwtp5-61b)
  • Water balance data analysis spreadsheet (wq-wwtp5-61)
  • Prefill and water balance raw data collection worksheet form (wq-wwtp5-61c)
  • Report on evaluation of Minnesota water balance test (wq-wwtp5-61e)
• Decommissioning or relining domestic wastewater ponds: Requirements and procedures (wq-wwtp5-86)
• Aerated pond (wq-wwtp5-04)

Mechanical treatment process design checklists

Preliminary treatment

• Grit removal facilities review checklist (wq-wwtp5-59)
• Pump station and raw sewage pumps review checklist (wq-wwtp5-77)
• Comminutor review checklist (wq-wwtp5-78)
• Coarse screen review checklist (wq-wwtp5-79)

Primary and secondary treatment

• Biological Treatment Checklist - Suspended Growth - Activated Sludge, Oxidation Ditches
• Biological treatment checklist: Attached growth - trickling filter (wq-wwtp5-11)
• Centrifuges, Solid Bowl
• Settling

Tertiary treatment

• Filtration

Disinfection

Design checklists are provided for chlorine and ultraviolet disinfection. Contact your facility’s assigned engineer for guidance if other types of disinfection are being considered.

• Chlorine disinfection review checklist (wq-wwtp5-22)
• Membrane bioreactors (wq-wwtp5-68)
• Ultraviolet disinfection process design review checklist (wq-wwtp5-93)

Municipal biosolids treatment and solids handling

• Aerobic sludge digestion review checklist (wq-wwtp5-02)
• Anaerobic sludge digestion review checklist (wq-wwtp5-03)
• Composting
• Dissolved air flotation thickening checklist (wq-wwtp5-23)
• Gravity thickener review checklist (wq-wwtp5-27)
• High pH lime sludge stabilization review checklist (wq-wwtp5-33)
• Mechanical dewatering facilities review checklist (wq-wwtp5-45)
• Pressure filtration design checklist (wq-wwtp5-58)
• Septage review checklist (wq-wwtp5-72)
• Sludge Drying Beds
• Sludge storage and disposal design checklist (wq-wwtp5-96)
• Vacuum filtration design checklist (wq-wwtp5-80)

Municipal land treatment: LSTS and RIB

Large subsurface treatment systems (LSTS)

• Design guidance for large subsurface wastewater treatment systems (LSTS) (wq-wwprm8-01)
• Best practices improvements: Nitrogen pretreatment performance of land-based wastewater treatment systems (wq-wwprm8-02)
• Sampling procedures for ground water monitoring wells (wq-gw1-01)
• Understanding the MPCA's groundwater nitrate nitrogen policy for large subsurface wastewater treatment systems (LSTS) (wq-wwprm1
• LSTS operations and reserve fund plan template and review checklist (wq-wwprm7-74)
• Decommissioning of large subsurface treatment systems (wq-wwtp5-94)

Rapid infiltration basins (RIB)

• Guidance and submittal requirements for rapid infiltration basin wastewater treatment systems (wq-wwtp5-64)
• Rapid infiltration basins review checklist (wq-wwtp5-65)