Commenting open: March 29, 2024 12:00AM CT - May 06, 2024 11:59PM CT.
Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative (beet piling sites in Wilkin and Traverse counties) - Wastewater Permit
We invite you to comment on the draft wastewater permit for the Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative in Tintah, Minnesota.
Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative is a sugar beet processing company that owns and operates five remote storage facilities known as piling grounds in Wilkin and Traverse counties. The five piling grounds are used for the temporary storage of sugar beets after harvesting and prior to processing and are designed to capture all liquid runoff in onsite sedimentation ponds. The current operating permit allows Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative to discharge up to 6 inches per day from the ponds to receiving waters in one of three watersheds, dependent upon the piling ground location.
The draft water quality permit modifies pond loading limits based on improved pond survey information, includes new phosphorus limits at the Hawes Piling Ground, requires pond characterization studies to assess groundwater risk, and removes flow limits since they are equivalent to the 6-inch drawdown requirements already in the permit.
The MPCA proposes to modify the allowed maximum load of pollutants from the Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative in the total maximum daily load report for the Bois de Sioux River Watershed. The maximum load of pollutants in the report, approved by the EPA in 2020, was calculated using an incorrect pond size. The correction will not result in an impairment for total suspended solids in the watershed.
The MPCA also proposes to modify the allowed maximum load of pollutants from the Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative in the total maximum daily load report for the Lower Otter Tail River. The facility was not assigned a maximum load of pollutants in the report, approved by the EPA in 2007. The wasteload allocation should be 38.1 kg/day. The modification will not result in an impairment for total suspended solids in the river.
Wastewater from industrial and commercial sources may contain pollutants at levels that could adversely affect the water quality in area wetlands, streams, rivers, and lakes. Water quality permits - or National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits - establish specific limits and requirements to protect Minnesota's surface and groundwater quality. All wastewater must be treated before it goes into surface water to protect human health and aquatic life. Permits are regularly reviewed and updated as they expire, allowing the MPCA to incorporate new information about the impacts of pollutants on the environment in future permits.
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