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).

Heavy rains lead to more mosquitoes this summer in Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. (June 27, 2013)–Mosquitoes are especially abundant this summer because of heavy rainfall and increased moisture in the environment.

University of Minnesota Extension entomologist Jeff Hahn explains mosquito larvae live in small pools of water. Increases in rainfall lead to more mosquito breeding grounds. Although rain cannot be controlled, there are many steps Minnesotans can take to combat mosquitoes.

• Mosquitoes avoid direct sunlight They are more common during early morning and evening as well as cloudy days. Try to avoid these times when possible.
• Draining small child pools, clogged gutters and other small pools of water prevents your yard from turning into a mosquito breeding ground. "If you have something that collects water, dump it or drain it," Hahn says.
• Put a thin layer of vegetable oil on water that cannot be drained (like rain buckets and bird baths) to suffocate the larvae and stop mosquito breeding. Also, keep weeds and grasses from getting tall.

It is important to protect your skin when you are outside.

"Repellent is a good first line of defense," says Hahn, who recommends using sprays, such as DEET or picaridin on your body and clothes. Also, covering your skin with long sleeves and long pants is an effective method of preventing bites.

Alternative and homemade methods of mosquito prevention are minimally effective, if at all, Hahn says. Citronella candles, ultrasound repellents, or insect zappers will not reduce the amount of bites you get outside, even if you catch a few mosquitoes. In the case of bug zappers you may even end up attracting more insects than the amount you're exterminating.

Besides irritating bites, mosquitoes can carry diseases like West Nile virus, which increased nationally and in Minnesota last year. Last year, there were 70 cases of the virus here, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

"Humans are most likely to get infected with West Nile at the end of the summer so even though mosquito numbers go down, people still need to protect themselves," Hahn says.

For more information on mosquitoes and other insects in Minnesota, visit www.extension.umn.edu/insects.

MN Stormwater Manual now available in Wiki format

St. Paul, Minn. -- Cities and developers that need to control urban stormwater to prevent pollution of lakes and streams have a new tool available as of today, when the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency launches a wiki version of the Minnesota Stormwater Manual.

The previous manual - at 850 pages and 25 megabytes online - offered a wealth of information, but was cumbersome to use. Thanks to Clean Water Legacy Act funding and a design team from public agencies and private firms, the manual is now available in a web-based format that can be rapidly updated with new developments.

The newly reformatted manual, which is built with the same software as Wikipedia, allows users to collaborate with each other and quickly locate the most recent stormwater information, offering a powerful tool for those who need to comply with stormwater regulations.

"There is a lot to like about the wiki platform, including powerful search capability and mobile phone accessibility," said Mike Trojan of the MPCA's municipal stormwater program. "But perhaps the most important feature is that we can update the manual on the fly. We anticipate the size of the manual will increase significantly as the state moves toward new performance goals for minimal impact designs in developing properties."

The updates are expected to double the size of the manual over the next year, so now was the right time to move to a wiki format.

"There is a great deal of stormwater research being conducted and it's critical to incorporate the latest information on topics such as BMP design, construction, maintenance, and pollutant removal," Trojan noted. "The wiki provides us with a mechanism to incorporate new information as it becomes available." Unlike typical wikis found on the Internet, the MPCA will control edits to the online Minnesota Stormwater Manual.

The new wiki manual can be accessed by visiting www.pca.state.mn.us and searching for "Minnesota Stormwater Manual."

MPCA invites comments on statewide permit that regulates construction stormwater

St. Paul, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) invites comments through March 20 on a permit that regulates construction stormwater throughout the state.

Under the federal Clean Water Act and Minnesota law, the MPCA oversees a program to manage stormwater runoff from construction activities. These activities include clearing, excavating and grading that disturb more than one acre of soil.

The purpose of the state program is to protect water resources from pollutants, particularly sediment, as well as nutrients, oil, chemicals and litter carried with runoff. In addition, the program strives to prevent this runoff from flooding streams and lakes and damaging habitat for fish and wildlife.

The MPCA issues a general permit that requires controls for construction stormwater runoff. When construction site owners and operators apply for coverage under the general permit, they agree to comply with the conditions set in the permit.

The current permit expires on Aug. 1, 2013. Because federal rules have changed since the last permit was issued in 2008, the MPCA must update the general permit to comply with these rules. Based on research and experience, the federal government continues to make changes to ensure that adequate best management practices are in place.

While the primary changes concern federal rules, the changes also include reorganization of the permit language. The draft permit includes clarifications and minor language changes to make the permit more concise, to delete duplicate or unneeded language, and to make the permit more readable and easier to understand.

In addition, the MPCA will require that permit applications be submitted electronically to achieve greater efficiency.

The MPCA values comments by stakeholders and will provide equitable access for all who wish to comment and learn about the permit. Stakeholders will have an opportunity to ask questions about the draft permit at a public information meeting on March 8, beginning at 9 a.m., in the MPCA Citizens Board Room in the agency’s St. Paul office.

Comments, which must be writing, are due by 4:30 p.m. March 20 to Lawrence Zdon, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Rd N, Saint Paul, MN 55155-4194 or by sending them by email to lawrence.zdon@state.mn.us.

For more information, visit the MPCA’s Public Notices webpage.

MPCA stormwater prevention

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is asking schools to help prevent stormwater pollution and phase out use of pavement sealers with harmful chemicals. Since July 2012, state agencies have been restricted from purchasing coal tar-based pavement sealers and 21 cities in Minnesota currently ban the use of coal tar-based products within their boundaries.
Coal-tar based sealers contain high levels of chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or P-A-Hs. Some P-A-Hs are known human carcinogens and may also harm fish and other aquatic life. Studies show that P-A-Hs are released from coal tar-based sealcoats. The P-A-Hs can contaminate surface waters as well as stormwater and make it difficult and more costly for cities to maintain stormwater ponds.