Commenting open: September 20, 2024 12:00AM CT - November 04, 2024 11:59PM CT.
Minnesota Power (Boswell Energy Center) - Wastewater Permit
We invite you to comment on the draft wastewater permit for Minnesota Power's Boswell Energy Center.
Minnesota Power operates Boswell Energy Center, a coal-fired steam electric generating station located in Cohasset.
The plant draws water from Blackwater Lake for cooling purposes. Backwash water from the intake screens is discharged back to Blackwater Lake at a rate of 41,000 gallons per day.
The facility routes wastewater from its generation processes to its wastewater treatment system, which consists of settling ponds and filtration. The wastewater treatment system discharges to Blackwater Lake and the Mississippi River at a maximum rate of 5.5 million gallons per day. Sanitary wastewater is discharged to the Grand Rapids Wastewater Treatment Facility.
The draft wastewater permit includes a plan to decommission the facility’s ash pond complex following the facility’s switch to dry ash handling in 2022. The permit also includes more stringent limits on sulfate, total suspended solids, iron, oil and grease, copper, and chlorine and adds requirements to monitor for temperature, boron, hardness, nitrogen, phosphorus, hexavalent chromium, and total dissolved solids.
The MPCA will host an in-person public meeting for people to ask questions and understand the draft permit. The meeting will take place on Monday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. at the Cohasset Community Center.
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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We invite you to comment on the draft wastewater permit for Minnesota Power's Boswell Energy Center.
Minnesota Power operates Boswell Energy Center, a coal-fired steam electric generating station located in Cohasset.
The plant draws water from Blackwater Lake for cooling purposes. Backwash water from the intake screens is discharged back to Blackwater Lake at a rate of 41,000 gallons per day.
The facility routes wastewater from its generation processes to its wastewater treatment system, which consists of settling ponds and filtration. The wastewater treatment system discharges to Blackwater Lake and the Mississippi River at a maximum rate of 5.5 million gallons per day. Sanitary wastewater is discharged to the Grand Rapids Wastewater Treatment Facility.
The draft wastewater permit includes a plan to decommission the facility’s ash pond complex following the facility’s switch to dry ash handling in 2022. The permit also includes more stringent limits on sulfate, total suspended solids, iron, oil and grease, copper, and chlorine and adds requirements to monitor for temperature, boron, hardness, nitrogen, phosphorus, hexavalent chromium, and total dissolved solids.
The MPCA will host an in-person public meeting for people to ask questions and understand the draft permit. The meeting will take place on Monday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. at the Cohasset Community Center.
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.
Contact Information
*Indicates Required Fields