“For most communities in the Upper Midwest, home water softeners are the primary source of salt at wastewater plants. To reduce salt levels entering the environment, comply with state regulations, and protect aquatic life, centralized water softening should be considered as an option as funds allow.”
- Kris Swanson, Principal Environmental Engineer at Bolton & Menk
In 2012, an NPDES permit to the City of Morris required a reduction of chlorides from their wastewater treatment facility. The city hired Bolton & Menk to help address the issue.
Our team evaluated the wastewater treatment needs as well as potential water treatment facility improvements. We recommended a lime and soda ash softening water treatment facility to treat the water prior to the introduction of chloride in the waste stream by ion exchange softeners. By providing softened water to residents and businesses, the need for individual ion exchange softening decreased significantly, resulting in less chloride discharged into the Pomme De Terre River. While the environmental concerns drove the regulatory requirement, the project’s additional benefit was replacement of an aging, 40-year-old water treatment facility.
The new facility meets the EPA and Minnesota Department of Health’s Primary and Secondary Drinking Water Standards and reduces the treated water supply hardness by 90 percent. Chloride concentration to the WWTP is reduced from 830 mg/L to 355 mg/L, well below the limits.
Recommended improvements were constructed in phases, allowing the plant to remain in service during the
The pretreatment facilities successfully achieved the reduction in CBOD and TSS parameters required by the
With funding from the PFA, this project will be affordable for many property owners that
This project has been a huge investment in our community’s infrastructure, and updates an essential
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