American Crystal Sugar - Moorhead - Wastewater Permit

We invite you to comment on the draft wastewater permit for American Crystal Sugar Company.

The American Crystal Sugar facility located in Moorhead processes sugar beets into refined sugar, molasses, and dried beet pulp. After treatment, this facility discharges wastewater created during the production process to the Red River of the North. The permit allows for a maximum discharge flow of ten million gallons per day when the flow in the Red River of the North is greater than 500 cubic feet per second and five million gallons per day when flow in the river is between 250 and 500 cubic feet per second.

A current fecal coliform limit has been moved from an internal monitoring location to a surface discharge location in the draft permit. The draft permit also includes new monitoring requirements for nitrogen, total dissolved solids, specific conductance, dissolved mercury, and sulfate.

The draft permit includes a compliance schedule that requires the Permittee to meet a new total phosphorus limit as soon as possible, but no later than seven years after permit issuance. The draft permit also includes a requirement for a decommissioning plan related to the removal of land application requirements.

Wastewater from industrial and commercial sources may contain pollutants at levels that could adversely affect the water quality in area wetlands, streams, rivers, and lakes. Water quality permits - or National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits - establish specific limits and requirements to protect Minnesota's surface and groundwater quality. All wastewater must be treated before it goes into surface water to protect human health and aquatic life. Permits are regularly reviewed and updated as they expire, allowing the MPCA to incorporate new information about the impacts of pollutants on the environment in future permits.