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Phosphorus Resources
As public wastewater treatment facilities receive or anticipate phosphorus effluent limits they are turning to their commercial and industrial users and asking them to reduce the volume of phosphorus in their wastewater.
The following resources can help facilities identify sources of phosphorus in their operations and give options to minimize phosphorus loading.
Articles/Award Winner/Checklist/Fact Sheets/Industry Case Studies/Other Resources/Reports
Articles
Brainerd/Baxter Project The cities wanted to work on phosphorus reduction well in advance of the new wastewater treatment plant coming online in 2009, in order to meet effluent limit of 1 mg/L. News release - December 2006
City
of Browerville Develops PMP Using a PMP, Browerville laid out a plan to reduce phosphorus
discharges to its wastewater treatment ponds.
Award Winner
The
City of St. Cloud won a 2003 Governor's Awards for
Excellence in Waste and Pollution Prevention for its
Phosphorus Management Plan.
Checklist
Phosphorus Sources and Reduction Opportunities Walk-through Checklist WWTF operators may want to cover the items on this checklist with their business users to identify strategies to reduce effluent phosphorus from their operations.
Fact Sheets
Metal Phosphatizing Operations Metal phosphatizing operations are a large industrial source of phosphorus in wastewater. When companies minimize phosphorus discharge from these operations they save by reducing chemical and water use.
Phosphorus Reduction from Businesses: Using a City-wide Inventory Conduct a city-wide inventory to understand which commercial, industrial, institutional, domestic and water treatment plant sources contribute phosphorus to your facility.
Phosphorus: Reducing Releases from Dairy Processing Facilities Dairy operations can be significant sources of phosphorus released to wastewater treatment plants. Cleaning production lines, scraping food preparation vats, cleaning and rinsing equipment, product lost to the drain and floor cleaning chemicals are all ways phosphorus enters the wastewater.
Phosphorus: Reducing Releases from Industrial Cleaning and Sanitizing Operations Many traditional cleaning chemicals use phosphorus components as active ingredients. Alternative low- and non-phosphorus cleaners are available to meet a wide variety of industrial cleaning needs.
Phosphorus: Reducing Releases from Meat Packing Operations Meat packing operations can be significant sources of phosphorus released to wastewater treatment plants. Cleaning and rinsing of equipment, product lost to the drain and floor, and cleaning chemicals are all ways phosphorus enters the wastewater.
Phosphorus: Reducing Releases from Poultry Processing Plants The poultry industry is a large contributor to Minnesota's agricultural economy with sales accounting for about 7% of Minnesota's farm output. Poultry processing plants contribute large biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) loads, as well as total suspended solids (TSS) and phosphorus to wastewater. This fact sheet outlines a number of steps that can be taken to reduce poultry processing plant waste.
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Industry Case Studies
Electrolux Reduces Phosphorus 86% Electrolux converted the wash stage on its two paint systems to non-phosphorus chemical cleaners and sealant solutions to reduce the phosphorus going to its POTW.
Sunny Fresh Foods This food processor worked with its cleaning and sanitizing vendors to reduce its phosphorus effluent by 80%.
Other Resources
For questions about PMP permit requirements contact the MPCA’s Customer Assistance Center at 651.297.2274 or 800.646.6247. Questions can also be submitted electronically through the Ask MPCA Web page.
For technical assistance using the PMP Development Resources, including pollution prevention options and assistance with identifying reduction strategies for a PMP and for assistance with preparing a PMP, contact Cindy McComas,
MnTAP,
612.624.1300 or 800.247.0015.
Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Handbook for Wastewater Utilities. A guide published by the EPA on achieving environmental excellence.
Mercury Minimization Plan.This document was created to assist municipalities, companies, consultants, operators, permittees, etc. to identify and reduce sources of mercury in collection and treatment systems. This document will also assist you in creating a Mercury Minimization Plan (MMP) to comply with permit requirements.
Reports
Cost
Effective Pollution Prevention Strategies to Reduce
Phosphorus in the Minnesota and Lower Mississippi River
Basins MnTAP worked in partnership with operators of wastewater treatment plants to provide pollution prevention outreach and
implementation assistance to industrial users of municipal
treatment systems in southern Minnesota. During the
course of this two-year project with McKnight Foundation
support, MnTAP helped companies reduce 30,800
phosphorus, 3.03 million pounds of organic and solids loading,
66.5 million gallons water, and save $2.8 million. (2002, PDF: 13 pp, 124 KB)
Pollution Prevention for Industrial Wastewater Dischargers in the Upper Mississippi River Basin Using City-wide Inventories MnTAP worked in partnership with operators of wastewater treatment plants to provide pollution prevention outreach and implementation assistance to industrial users of municipal treatment systems in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.
During the course of this two-year project with McKnight Foundation support, MnTAP helped companies reduce 35,100 pounds of phosphorus, 4.5 million pounds of biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS), 37 million gallons of water, and save $348,000. (2005, PDF: 13 pp, 104 KB)
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