7.3. SR 02-06-2012~` - REQUEST FOR ACTION
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TO ITEM NUMBER
Ma or and Ci Council 7.3
AGENDA SECTION MEETING DATE PREPARED BY
General Business Febru 6, 2012 ustin Femrite, Ci En ' eex
ITEM DESCRIPTION REVIEWED B)/
Overview of the Wastewater Treatment Facility and Gary Leirmoe, Chief Operator; Matt
Authorization to Solicit Proposals to Prepare Facility Planning Stevens, Lead O erator
Documents REVIEWED BY
Cal Portner, Ci Administrator
ACTION REQUESTED
Authorization to solicit proposals fox professional services for the preparation of facility planning
documents for Wastewater Treatment Facility improvements.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The City of Elk River Wastewater Treatment Facility (~X/WTF) is permitted to discharge water and bio-
solids through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The water effluent stream currently
leaves the facility and discharges directly to the Mississippi River. Our bio-solids stream is currently
stored on-site then hauled and spread on the city-owned fields north of the Youth Athletic Complex.
Discharge Permit Overview
Our existing discharge permit was issued in December 2007 and is set to expire in December 2012. Gary
Leirmoe and his staff have been preparing to complete the application for a new permit, which is due in
June 2012. The MPCA has indicated our new permit will have tighter limits on the amount of
phosphorus, mercury, and total suspended solids (TSS) that will be allowed to leave our facility in the
effluent water stream. Our facility is currently meeting all limits of the existing permit, but the changes in
the new permit will require modifications to our treatment process to achieve compliance with the new
limits.
Anticipating these new limits, Foth Infrastructure & Environmental, LLC was hired in 2011 to complete
a full review of the processes and performance of the WWTF. 'T'his review was conducted to better
understand what upgrades, or changes in the operations, would be required to meet the limits of a new
discharge permit. Foth's review of the facility included all treatment processes starting with the headwork
building all the way through the discharge to the Mississippi River. Foth recommended both operational
and construction related modifications to comply with the proposed permit limits.
We have been working with Great River Energy and the MPCA to complete an effluent reuse project
that would direct all of our treated effluent water to Great River Energy for cooling of the burners at
their power plant. While this is a standalone project, it has implications on our discharge permit and
needs to be considered and studied as part of the facility planning process.
Water Effluent Overview
Figure No. 1 identifies the existing path that the water stream takes through the WWTF. Recommended
additions to the existing treatment processes are shown in Figure No. 2. These include the addition of a
third primary clarifier and an activated sludge process. These recommended additions will enhance the
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existing treatment processes to further reduce the TSS, phosphorus, and mercury levels in the effluent
water. The expected reductions to the phosphorus, TSS, and mercury levels with these additions will be
further evaluated through the facility planning process.
Bio-Solids Overview
Figure No. 3 identifies the path in which the bio-solids are currently generated and handled at the
WWTF. Modifications to the water treatment process, as described above, will result in additional bio-
solids production. The existing bio-solids storage tanks and fields are at capacity. Any increase in bio-
solids production will result in the need to change the way the bio-solids are handled.
We have had discussions with Great River Energy to evaluate the idea of pumping our bio-solids to their
facility for incineration. This option, as shown in Figure No. 4, would allow for the entire bio-solids
stream to be incinerated at the Great River Energy power plant. This option has tangible benefits for
both the City of Elk River and Great River Energy. If this option were put into place, the city would no
longer need our existing fields for bio-solids disposal. The wastewater division would also see a reduction
in their annual expenses in costs of hauling and spreading the bio-solids on the fields. Furthermore, as
proposed, the city would not have to add costly bio-solids storage or handling processes equipment. If
the additional storage and handling equipment were to be constructed, it would require the expansion of
our WWTF to the south, into Great River Energy's yard.
Great River Energy has expressed interest in further evaluating this option. The alternative bio-solids
handling option will be further reviewed through the facility planning process. The final approval and
implementation will be largely dependent on the MPCA's acceptance. The process will require
coordinating changes in our discharge permit and a number of permits that Great River Energy has
through the MPCA.
Action Request
The above described modifications to the water and bio-solids streams, will require the completion of a
new facility plan which will then be reviewed by the MPCA. Staff is recommending hiring a firm to assist
in the preparation of the facility plan and completion of the application for a new discharge permit. The
selected firm will be hired as an expert to assist staff in coordinating these modifications with Great River
Energy and the MPCA.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no financial impact associated with this request. Staff will solicit proposals from qualified firms
and bring a recommendation to the City Council for approval. The Capital Improvement Plan includes
an estimate for the completion of a Facility Plan in 2012 at a cost of $50,000.
ATTACHMENTS
^ Figure No. 1 -Existing Water Effluent Path
^ Figure No. 2 -Proposed Water Effluent Path
^ Figure No. 3 -Existing Bio-Solids Path
^ Figure No. 4 -Proposed Bio-Solids Path
Action Motion by Second by Vote
Follow Up
N:\Public Bodies\Ciry Council\Coundl RCA\Agenda Packet\02-06-2012\WW'1'P.docx