CHICAGO, Aug. 11 (PRNewswire) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice have reached agreement with the Metropolitan Council on alleged clean-air violations at its Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant in St. Paul, MN. The agreement includes a $250,000 civil penalty and a $1.6 million environmental project.
The treatment plant, built in 1938, processes more than 220 million gallons of waste water and 225 tons of sludge every day, serving more than 80 percent of the metro area.
The settlement resolves a civil complaint filed in July 1999 alleging the plant failed stack tests, and released uncontrolled emissions from emergency bypass stacks and from faulty dampers that seal vents to the emergency bypass stacks from the emergency bypass stacks and faulty dampers. The stacks are part of a sewage sludge incineration system. They are used primarily when pressure builds in the plant's six incinerators to the point where it must be released, which happens about twice a month.
In addition to the civil penalty, Metropolitan Council agreed to install a $1.6 million dry electrostatic precipitator in the air-pollution control train on one of its new incinerators. Metropolitan Council estimated the precipitator will remove about 40 percent of the particulates (smoke, dust, ash) from its air emissions.
During agreement negotiations, Metropolitan Council designed and installed new dampers and seals for the emergency stacks on its multiple hearth incinerators. The dampers and seals were designed to prevent leakage of particulates when the dampers are closed.
Metropolitan Council agreed to expedite construction and installation of new fluidized bed incinerators to cost $200 million and be completed in 2004. Until the incinerators are installed, Metropolitan Council has agreed to:
- develop and implement a procedure to maintain alarms related to damper openings
- take appropriate corrective measures to prevent damper leakage in emergency stacks
- train its operators
- develop a plan to inspect and maintain all components of the wastewater treatment plant
- notify EPA and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency of each emergency damper opening
- restrict sludge-feed rates to the incinerators, and
- take additional measures that EPA determines are necessary
EPA Great Lakes Regional Administrator Francis X. Lyons said, "We are pleased that the Metropolitan Council has agreed to take these very significant steps to protect public health and the environment in the Twin Cities. EPA stands ready to assist the council in its efforts."
