Public meeting on storm water pollution prevention set for Dec. 14 in East Grand Forks

BEMIDJI, Minn. – The public is invited to attend an informational meeting to learn about the storm water pollution prevention program for the City of East Grand Forks and the Minnesota Department of Transportation, including the permit process for the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4).

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 14, from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. in the training room of East Grand Forks City Hall, 600 Demers Ave.

City and MnDOT staff will give a brief overview and describe the coordination and education components of the MS4 program with other entities.

Individuals who cannot attend the meeting, but wish to comment or ask questions, can contact

·         John Wingard, MnDOT District 2 hydraulics engineer, 218-755-6527 or john.wingard@state.mn.us

·         Jason Stordahl, East Grand Forks public works director, 218-773-1313 or jstordahl@egf.mn

To request an ASL or foreign language interpreter, call 651-366-4720. To request other reasonable accommodations, call 651-366-4718; the Minnesota Relay Service toll-free at 1-800-627-3529 (TYY, Voice or ASCII) or 711, or email your request to adarequest.dot@state.mn.us. 

For real-time travel information and road conditions anywhere in Minnesota, visit www.511mn.org.

Clean power plan meetings set for Greater Minnesota

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will hold a series of public meetings in greater Minnesota during the month of February to discuss what the state needs to do in order to develop a plan for complying with the Clean Power Plan. 

The Clean Power Plan is a federal rule finalized last fall designed to reduce carbon pollution from power plants nationwide. The US Environmental Protection Agency requires the states to develop plans for complying with the rule by fall of 2018.  The MPCA is leading the development of Minnesota’s plan, and encourages interested Minnesotans to learn more and tell us what’s important in crafting the plan.

Each of the meetings will begin with an open house from 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm, followed by a presentation and listening session from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm.  Additional meetings will be scheduled later for the Twin Cities area.  The February meetings are scheduled for:

February 2, Marshall at Southwest Minnesota State University; 1501 State Street; Conference Center, Upper Ballroom

February 9, St. Cloud at St. Cloud State University; 720 4th Avenue South; Atwood Memorial Center, Voyageurs Room

February 16, Bemidji at Bemidji State University; 1500 Birchmont Drive Northeast; American Indian Resource Center

February 23, Duluth at University of Minnesota-Duluth; 1049 University Drive; Swenson Civil Engineering Building, Rooms 265/231

For more information:  For information about the Clean Power Plan, visit the MPCA’s Clean Power Plan webpage at www.pca.state.mn.us

Public meeting on storm water pollution prevention June 4 in East Grand Forks

BEMIDJI, Minn. – The public is invited to attend an informational meeting to learn about the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s program for preventing storm water pollution and the permit process for the municipal separate storm sewer system.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 4, 2014 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the training room of the East Grand Forks City Hall, 600 Demers Ave, East Grand Forks.

MnDOT staff will give a brief overview and describe the coordination and education components of the program with other entities.

Individuals who cannot attend the meeting, but wish to comment or ask questions, can contact John Wingard, MnDOT District 2 hydraulics engineer, at 218-755-6527 or john.wingard@state.mn.us

To request an ASL or foreign language interpreter or other reasonable accommodation, call Janet Miller at 651-366-4720 or 1-800-657-3774 (Greater Minnesota); 711 or 1-800-627-3529 (Minnesota Relay). You may also send an email to janet.rae.miller@state.mn.us (please request at least one week in advance).

Proposed amendments to feedlot rules are open for public comment

St. Paul, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announces a public comment period, from July 22 through Aug. 26, 2013, on proposed amendments to state rules regulating animal feedlots.

The MPCA proposes to amend these rules to address law changes made by the Minnesota Legislature in the 2011 special session. The MPCA is also taking this opportunity to remove obsolete rule requirements, address other law changes adopted since Chapter 7020 was revised in 2000, and provide clarification to certain existing rules in Chapters 7020, 7001 and 7002.

The MPCA regulates the collection, transportation, storage, processing and utilization of manure and process wastewaters associated with the operation of animal feedlots.  Since the 1970s, the MPCA has regulated feedlots primarily through permits, including National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, State Disposal System (SDS) permits, and construction short form and interim permits, the latter two also issued by counties under delegation from the MPCA.

The proposed amendments include:

• incorporation of new statutory language eliminating the need to hold an NPDES permit except as required by federal law, while maintaining the requirement for larger feedlots to hold an SDS permit;
• incorporating other new statutory requirements enacted since the feedlot rules were last revised, including new statutory pasture definitions and 10-year terms for SDS permits;
• clarification of administrative requirements for permits, including the processes for issuance or denial of permits by delegated counties and modification of permits; and
• removal of obsolete language, such as provisions governing older forms of permits, and expired transitional requirements, such as the “open lot agreement.”

To review the proposed rule amendments and the Statement of Need and Reasonableness, together with the official public notice, which explains how interested persons can comment on the proposed amendments, go to the MPCA’s Public Notices webpage (http://www.pca.state.mn.us/yrwc6a9). Other rule documents are on the agency’s Feedlot Rulemaking webpage (www.pca.state.mn.us and search for “feedlot rulemaking.”

New rules protect lakes, streams from construction runoff

Protecting lakes and streams from construction runoff is the purpose of a statewide permit recently approved by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Citizens’ Board.

Construction runoff can contain pollutants. The additional drainage from developed sites can also cause erosion and other problems.

This permit aims to protect Minnesota’s waters in two ways. The first is through temporary practices during construction to manage runoff. The second is through permanent treatment of additional runoff, such as letting rainwater and snowmelt soak into the ground through rain gardens and other means.

For more information, visit the M-P-C-A website at www.pca.state.mn.us