Due to new lower acceptable levels of mercury limits set by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) the Grand Marais Wastewater Treatment Plant will have to come in compliance within the next five years or the city will be faced with fines, said Water/ Sewer Plant Manager Tom Nelson to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on September 2.
The minute amounts of mercury found in the city’s wastewater treatment plant comes from what is termed “nonpoint sources” said Nelson, which means it could come from anywhere.
The first step, Nelson said, is to get a new permit from MPCA that will come with the new requirements and guidelines that must be met. Nelson told the board that he didn’t feel that adding more additives to the water would meet the new requirements to reduce mercury. He suggested that it is in the city’s best interest to find a firm that has dealt with mercury mitigation to help with the process and the board agreed. “We are still waiting to get a permit from the MPCA,” Nelson said to the Cook County News-Herald on September 16. “The first step is to complete a Pilot Study Plan for the MPCA and give it to them for their review and approval,” Nelson said.
Once a Pilot Study Plan has been reviewed the city will complete and submit a Facility Plan That plan will identify treatment options aimed at reducing mercury emissions from the plant. All of the work to correct the problem must be completed within five years, Nelson said.
City to explore solar system for the wastewater treatment plant
In an effort to reduce the electrical costs at the Grand Marais wastewater treatment plant, the PUC passed a motion to hire Don Grant to look at the viability of putting in a solar hot water system at the facility.
Grant is the founder and president of CT Associates and is the principal leader of the North Shore Sustainable Energy, LLC, CT Associates. He is also a member of the Cook County Local Energy Project (CCLEP). Grant holds a degree in chemical engineering from Case Western Reserve University and master’s degree from the University of Minnesota in mechanical engineering.
Grant submitted two proposals to Water Plant Manager Nelson. One involves mounting a solar hot water system on the roof, which would cost about $48,000, and the second would be a 19kW solar electric system, which would also be mounted on the roof and cost about $57,000.
Without securing any grants, said Nelson, the payback to install one of these systems to the town would be between 17-19 years.
With the budget process beginning, Nelson said now might be a good time to look to cut costs. Grant told him a solar system could reduce charges by approximately 30 percent and also reduce emissions. Currently the heating load for the plant is 40 percent of the electric budget because of the constant inflow of cold water for treatment.
Grand Marais Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux said no decision has been made by the city council to pursue the project, and if it were to happen, “it would be a year or two away. We then would have to look at the age of the water treatment plant which is now about 35 years old and determine whether this would be something that would work or not with a payback of that length of time.”
PUC Member George Wilkes made a motion calling for Grant to develop a conceptual design for both systems that could be sent to potential vendors for detailed designs and bids at a cost of $250. Tim Kennedy seconded the motion and PUC Chair Karl Hansen also voted for it.
In other business
. Electric Superintendent Mike Taylor said the city had its first interconnection agreement signed with Grand Marais Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux for the installation of a solar electric system at his bed and breakfast. The board passed a motion to approve the agreement with Arrowsmith DeCoux.
. Taylor said he attended the August meeting of the Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA) where there was a lot of discussion about rate increases. SMMPA, which generates and sells electricity to 18 nonprofit municipally owned utilities including Grand Marais, is looking at a possible 5 percent increase for 2016, 3 percent for 2017 and a zero increase for 2018. SMMPA has hired a consulting firm to look into the possible rate increases, Taylor said.
. When asked about the recent PUC work in front of Sivertson’s Gallery in downtown Grand Marais, Nelson replied that there had been a break in a line on Sivertson’s property, and therefore the gallery, and not the city, would be required to pay for the repairs.
Once the broken line was temporarily repaired and the hole filled and leveled, the sidewalk in front of the business was replaced on September 2. Nelson said the city would have more work to do to make permanent repairs on the line, but they would wait until the tourism season was over (sometime in October) because the work would extend into the road and traffic will be slowed.
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