Microbrewery Program

Microbrewery and Brewpub Wastewater Discharge Program

Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) owns and operates nine wastewater treatment plants and over 600 miles of sewer pipe that convey wastewater from communities in the Twin Cities metro area to our treatment plants. The wastewater treated at these plants must meet strict environmental standards to ensure receiving waters are kept clean.

The Industrial Waste and Pollution Prevention (IWPP) section of MCES is the delegated Pretreatment Program authority for the seven-county service area. We regulate industrial wastewater discharges through a permitting system. Microbreweries and brewpubs are included in the nearly 900 industries that are regulated.

Breweries impacted Requirements
All microbreweries and brewpubs that operate within the MCES service area (PDF) Must register with MCES by submitting a completed Wastewater Discharge Survey for Breweries and Brewpubs.
Produce 500 barrels of beer or more per year, but discharges less than one million gallons of wastewater annually Must comply with our Microbrewery Program and submit a completed permit application to us. 
Discharges one million gallons or more annually Must comply with our standard industrial discharge permit program.

How your brewery must comply with the program

  1. Fulfill all permit requirements and conditions.
  2. Put in place and follow best management practices (PDF) for microbreweries.
  3. Enroll in the MCES Industrial Online Reporting System (IORS)
  4. Submit reports annually via IORS: How to submit your microbrewery annual report.
  5. Pay annual permit fees and charges as assessed.

Contact us

Microbrewery Program information

Laura Engen
651-602-4712
[email protected]
Nanette Geroux
651-602-4721
[email protected]

MCES rates and fees

Kristi Goble
651-602-8114
[email protected]

Industrial Waste & Pollution Prevention (IWPP) Office

651-602-4703
[email protected]

To receive important notifications regarding your MCES industrial discharge permit, we recommend you add these emails to your address book: [email protected] and [email protected].