1. Water
  2. Permitting and regulations
  3. Wastewater
  4. Reporting and compliance

Discharge monitoring reports (DMRs)

e-services icon
DMR e-services

  • Create an e-services account
  • Submit sampling and monitoring data
  • Amend previously submitted DMRs

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)/State Disposal System (SDS) permits for wastewater treatment require reporting of discharge monitoring results. Submit your data online using the DMR e-service; the forms will display the limits and monitoring requirements from your permit per monitoring period. The forms are updated within 30 days of a permit action, such as issuing a new permit or modifying or reissuing an existing one.

Before submitting reports through the online system, all permittees must:

  • Create an MPCA e-services account
  • Submit an authorization agreement signed by the responsible official that names the account holder (the person in charge of electronic submittal). The account holder must also sign the agreement (see Account management section below).

The MPCA will email the account holder when it has approved the authorization. The account holder does not have to be the wastewater operator responsible for sampling, process operation, and DMR calculations, and permittees may authorize multiple account holders. Sign up at least two to three weeks before your DMR is due. A week before submitting your first DMR, log onto the system to verify the system allows submittal.

Sample values

Daily sampling and monitoring data must be submitted on a sample values or operational spreadsheet, which are customized to your facility and available in e-services. At the end of the monitoring period, a feature in e-services can be used to calculate the required limit types for parameters on the DMRs. (Some facilities with special calculation instructions will have to calculate values based on specific permit requirements.) REMEMBER: You must review and confirm the calculated values prior to submittal. You'll receive an email verifying submittal of the DMR.

Quick tips: Filling out sample values and DMRs

No discharge/no flow
  • If you have a discharge, leave the "No Discharge/No Flow" box blank and report values in the parameter fields.
  • If you have no discharge or flow, mark the field with an "X" and leave the parameter fields blank.
Cancel in-progress sample values; or DMR or sample values spreadsheet are listed "in progress" To start over, click "My Workspace Tab" under "My Services in Progress," and click the red X. Make sure you are cancelling the DMR and not your facility!
No chlorine used; or no results for a parameter Leave the boxes blank on the sample values and DMR forms and add a note to the DMR indicating that you did not chlorinate or that monitoring wasn't done. (Do not put "0" or "NA" in the parameter boxes.)
Reporting releases In months when there was a release, complete the release sampling report and attach it to the DMR. Find a blank form below in both Excel and Word formats.
Auto-calculation/rounding
  • Double check DMR boxes that are supposed to be automatically calculated, and fill in any missing values.
  • Check that figures are rounded correctly.
  • No more than 10 characters (including numbers, decimals, and < > symbols) in a box.
  • Report groundwater elevations to the nearest hundredths of a foot.

Attachments to DMRs

Account management

DMR submittal guidance

When are DMRs due?

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

Water quality submittal center

The MPCA is now accepting all water quality submittals electronically. All permit-required reports and submittals, including whole effluent toxicity (WET) tests and pretreatment annual reports, should now be submitted electronically to the WQ submittals center at wq.submittals.mpca@state.mn.us.

Please follow these steps:

  • Fill out the WQ submittals form (see below)
  • Attach the form and Submittal to your email
  • Send the email by the due date

Note: The MPCA will not deem the WQ submittal as received unless this submittals form is also attached:

For the time being, the MPCA will continue to process regular mail addressed to:

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Attention: WQ submittals center
520 Lafayette Road North
St. Paul, MN  55155-4194

Access DMR data

Example of search results from wastewater data browser

Submitted wastewater DMR data is available for selected areas, times, or parameters via the Wastewater Data Browser, which is refreshed quarterly. The data is for reference only. Work with your compliance staff if you have DMR reporting questions. Download the data displayed on screen from the lower right corner. You can still submit an information request if the information you are looking for isn’t available. Email datadesk.mpca@state.mn.us with any questions about the Wastewater Data Browser.

Contact

Contact your assigned compliance staff or a data specialist:

 

Use this tool to find staff assignments for your facility