Public Comment Form

Commenting open: December 20, 2024 12:00AM CT - January 21, 2025 11:59PM CT.

Perham Resource Recovery Facility - Wastewater Permit

We invite you to comment on the draft wastewater permit for the Perham Resource Recovery Facility.


The Perham Resource Recovery Facility is a waste-to-energy facility which receives and processes municipal solid wastes from Otter Tail, Todd, Wadena, Becker, and Clay Counties. The facility produces steam through the combustion of municipal solid wastes. The steam is then sold to two local industries. 


The facility uses reverse osmosis to purify city water for use in its steam production equipment. Reject water from the reverse osmosis process is then discharged to the municipal storm sewer at average and maximum rates of 29,000 and 58,000 gallons per day. The storm sewer line is located along County Highway 80 and eventually discharges to an unnamed wetland, followed by an unnamed creek.


The draft water quality permit adds a limit for total residual chlorine to meet water quality standards. The draft permit also adds monitoring requirements for nitrite plus nitrate-nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total sulfate. 


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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Thank you for providing feedback on this project. We value your comments and will use them to assess this project further. Please submit your comments and feedback before the end of the comment period.


If you want to submit a letter, you can upload the letter on this website or submit it via US Mail to the following address:


Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
c/o Christine Bianchi
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
520 Lafayette Road N
St. Paul, MN 55155

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