Wastewater treatment plants cited for strong performance

Seneca Plant earns top award for environmental compliance

All eight of the Metropolitan Council’s wastewater treatment plants have received Peak Performance Awards for their accomplishments during 2005 from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA).

Plant operator at the Seneca Wastewater Treatment Plant

Plant operator Rich Mejia makes the rounds at the Council's Seneca Wastewater Treatment Plant. The plant earned a Platinum Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies for achieving five consecutive years of full compliance with clean water discharge permits.

The Seneca Plant heads the list, earning a prestigious Platinum Award for achieving five consecutive years (2001-2005) of full compliance with clean water discharge permits. This is the second time the Seneca Plant has earned a Platinum Award since NACWA instituted the award in the mid-1990s. Seneca registered full compliance from 1994 through 1998.

Plants earning Gold Awards for full compliance during 2005 were Empire, Hastings, Metro, Rosemount and St. Croix Valley. Earning Silver Awards for having no more than five permit exceedances in 2005 were the Blue Lake and Eagles Point Plants.

“This high level of permit compliance is a key measure of our continuing protection of public health and the environment,” said Bill Moore, general manager of the Council’s Environmental Services division. “We operate well below many of the permit limits, which provides further protection to the metro-area rivers. We and our regulatory agencies set high expectations for our plants, and employees from all across our division — in the plants, in the collection system, and in the support functions — make these results possible.”