Wastewater

We review your wastewater plan to ensure conformance with our 2040 Water Resources Policy Plan and Thrive MSP 2040. Your wastewater plan must be designed to support the population, household, and employment forecasts as described in your System Statement. If your community is served by the Regional System or by a locally owned and operated treatment plant, your update needs to plan and provide for the appropriate local system capacity and address inflow and infiltration. 

 Minimum Requirements: 

• A table that details the households and employment forecasts in 10-year increments through 2040, based on the Council’s forecasts and any subsequent negotiated modifications. This should be broken down by areas served by the Metropolitan Disposal System, locally owned and operated wastewater treatment systems, and Community and Subsurface sewage treatment systems. The forecasts used in your wastewater plan must be consistent with the forecasts used throughout your plan, including in land use, transportation, and water supply.

  • Your wastewater plan must be designed to support these forecasts and provide any allocation breakdowns between sewered and unsewered service for population, households, and employment.

• An electronic map or maps (GIS shape files or equivalent must also be submitted) that show the following information:

  • Your existing sanitary sewer system identifying lift stations, existing connection points to the metropolitan disposal system, and future connection points.

  • Local sewer service districts by connection point.

  • Intercommunity connections and any proposed changes in government boundaries based on Orderly Annexation Agreements.

  • The location of all private and public wastewater treatment plants in your community.

• Copy of any intercommunity service agreements entered into with an adjoining community after December 31, 2008; including a map of areas covered by the agreement.

• Management program for subsurface sewage treatments systems to comply with MPCA 7080.

• Current subsurface sewage treatment system ordinance

• A table or tables that contain the following information:

  • Capacity and design flows for existing trunk sewers and lift stations.

  • Assignment of 2040 growth forecasts by Metropolitan interceptor facility. In the absence of this information the Council will make its own assignments for the purpose of system capacity needs determination.

• Define your community’s goals, policies, and strategies for preventing and reducing excessive inflow and infiltration (I/I) in the local municipal and private sanitary sewer systems. 

  • Include a summary of activities or programs intended to mitigate I/I from both public and private property sources.

• Describe the requirements and standards in your community for minimizing inflow and infiltration.

  • Include a copy of the local ordinance or resolution that prohibits discharge from sump pumps, foundation drains, and/or rain leaders to the sanitary sewer system.

  • Include a copy of the local ordinance or resolution requiring the disconnection of existing foundation drains, sump pumps, and roof leaders from the sanitary sewer system.

• Describe the sources, extent, and significance of existing inflow and infiltration in both the municipal and private sewer systems.

  • Include a description of the existing sources of I/I in the municipal and private sewer infrastructure.

  • Include a summary of the extent of the systems that contributes to I/I such as locations, quantities of piping or manholes, quantity of service laterals, or other measures. If an analysis has not been completed, include a schedule and scope of future system analysis.

  • Include a breakdown of residential housing stock age within the community into pre- and post- 1970 era, and what percentage of pre-1970 era private services have been evaluated for I/I susceptibility and repair.

  • Include the measured or estimated amount of clearwater flow generated from the public municipal and private sewer systems.

  • Include a cost summary for remediating the I/I sources identified in the community. If previous I/I mitigation work has occurred in the community, include a summary of flow reductions and investments completed. If costs for mitigating I/I have not been analyzed, include the anticipated wastewater service rates or other costs attributed to inflow and infiltration.

• Describe the implementation plan for preventing and eliminating excessive inflow and infiltration from entering both the municipal and private sewer systems.

  • Include the strategy for implementing projects, activities, or programs planned to mitigate excessive I/I from entering the municipal and private sewer systems.

  • Include a list of priorities for I/I mitigation projects based on flow reduction, budget, schedule, or other criteria.

  • Include a schedule and the related financial mechanisms planned or needed to implement the I/I mitigation strategy.

 For communities with new trunk sewer systems that require connections to the Metropolitan Disposal System, you also need to include the following:

• A table that details the proposed time schedule for the construction of the new trunk sewer system in your community.

• Describe the type and capacity of the treatment facilities, whether municipally or privately owned.

• Copies of the associated National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) or State Disposal System (SDS) permits.

 Get More Out of Your Plan: 

• You may want to consider staged wastewater flow projections to assist with planning local infrastructure improvements. 

 We Can Help!

• Review the Wastewater Review Fact Sheet to better understand how local plans are reviewed for conformance to the regional system plan.

• Inflow and Infiltration is a significant factor in a community’s wastewater treatment expense for some communities. Review the Inflow and Infiltration Fact Sheet for information on our policies and mitigation programs,

• Refer to our Inflow and Infiltration toolbox to learn how to get an I/I Reduction Program started, learn about investigative techniques, corrective measure for both private property and publicly owned sewers, and more.

• As you work on your plan, refer to the Net Residential Density Fact Sheet to integrate land use and density considerations into your infrastructure plans.

• For Diversified Rural Communities with Flexible Development Ordinances: You must be consistent with the Flexible Development Guidelines adopted by the Council in August 2008. These guidelines apply to Diversified Rural communities with staging areas for future urbanization identified as Long Term Service Areas for regional wastewater services. You should review these guidelines if you have local ordinances that allow densities greater than 1 unit per 10 acres (open space ordinances, cluster developments, density bonuses etc.).

• Check out your Community Page to view your Sewer Allocation Forecasts, maps, and other information that may be useful in your planning process.

• The Water Resources Policy Plan has wastewater flow projections by community, which may be useful in your planning process.

• Joint Powers Agreements are often used to provide services across City boundaries. We’ve provided a few examples for your information.

• We have sanitary flow data for your community that could be used as a basis for establishing current flows and projecting future flows. Contact your Anna Bessel in Environmental Services to request this data if you’d like to use it in your planning process.

• The Annual Sewer Use Survey may provide additional information. 

For communities with a locally owned and operated wastewater system, we work to ensure that these systems are adequately managed and maintained around the region. This helps to ensure that local capacity is available, but also helps to prevent costly regional infrastructure investments in inadequately maintained systems. Whether your community is served by the regional system or by a locally owned and operated treatment plant, your update needs to plan for and provide the appropriate local system capacity and address inflow and infiltration.

 Minimum Requirements: 

• A table that details the households and employment forecasts in 10-year increments through 2040, based on the Council’s forecasts and any subsequent negotiated modifications. This should be broken down by areas served by the Metropolitan Disposal System, locally owned and operated wastewater treatment systems, and Community and Subsurface sewage treatment systems. The forecasts used in your wastewater plan must be consistent with the forecasts used throughout your plan, including in land use, transportation, and water supply.

• Management program for subsurface sewage treatment systems to comply with MPCA 7080.

• Current subsurface sewage treatment system ordinance.

• Describe the capacity of, and existing flows to, the public and private treatment systems in your community.

• Describe the community's sewer system plan, including:

  • Projected flows in 2020, 2030, and 2040

  • Map the local wastewater service areas in your community through 2040, including a staging plan if applicable, and any proposed changes in governmental boundaries affecting the community, including any areas designated for orderly annexation.

  • Describe the proposed timing and financing of any expanded or new wastewater treatment facilities.

  • Define your community’s goals, policies, and strategies for preventing and reducing excessive inflow and infiltration (I/I) in the local sewer system, including a discussion of sump pumps and drain tile connected to the local sewer system.

  • A copy of facility planning reports for the upgrading of your local wastewater treatment plant.

  • Copies of the associated National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) or State Disposal System (SDS) permits.

• You may want to consider staged wastewater flow projections to assist with planning local infrastructure improvements

 We Can Help!

• Inflow and Infiltration is a major factor for some communities. Review the Inflow and Infiltration Fact Sheet for information on our policies and mitigation programs,

• Refer to our Inflow and Infiltration toolbox to learn how to get an I/I Reduction Program started, learn about investigative techniques, corrective measure for both private property and publicly owned sewers, and more.

• Orderly Annexation Agreements (OAAs) are often used as communities accommodate growth and provide services to areas outside of their current municipal boundaries. We’ve provided a few examples of OAAs for your information.

With over 75,000 individual subsurface sewage treatment systems (SSTS) as well as several more private community systems serving clustered developments in use within the region, it is imperative that these systems are properly managed and maintained. Both individual and community systems largely serve portions of the region where wastewater collection and treatment is not available. These areas are primarily in more rural environments, but there are portions of our urban and suburban communities that are also served by SSTS.

 Minimum Requirements: 

• A table that details the households and employment forecasts in 10-year increments through 2040, based on the Council’s forecasts and any subsequent negotiated modifications. This should be broken down by areas served by the Metropolitan Disposal System, locally owned and operated wastewater treatment systems, and Community and Subsurface sewage treatment systems. The forecasts used in your wastewater plan must be consistent with the forecasts used throughout your plan, including in land use, transportation, and water supply.

• Describe your community’s management program for SSTS to comply with MPCA regulations (Minn. Rules Chapters 7080-7083).

• Current subsurface sewage treatment system ordinance.

• Map the locations of all existing public and private treatment systems, if any, including package treatment plants and communal sub-surface systems.

• Map the locations of all sub-surface sewage treatment systems. You should also identify the locations of known non-conforming systems or systems with known problems. This information may be available from the County.  If available, a list of addresses is acceptable.

• Describe the conditions under which private, community treatment systems (ex. package treatment plants, community drainfields) would be allowed. Examples of such conditions include:

  • allowable land uses and residential densities

  • installation requirements

  • management requirements

  • local government responsibilities

• There are many areas within the Rural Communities that have been identified for potential future (post 2040) connection to the regional wastewater services. Developmental strategies should be implemented by those communities, through land use guiding, essentially reserving them for efficient, economical future wastewater services.

• Consider how the County may be involved in the regulation and administration of these systems. You may need to coordinate with them during the planning process.

 We Can Help!

• Contact your Sector Representative with any questions.