Order of Saint Benedict (St. John's University) - Wastewater Permit

We invite you to comment on the draft wastewater permit for the Order of Saint Benedict's wastewater treatment facility.

We invite you to comment on the draft wastewater permit for Order of Saint Benedict/St. John’s Abbey.

Order of Saint Benedict/St. John’s Abbey applied for a reissued water quality permit for its wastewater treatment facility. The facility is designed to treat 242,000 gallons per day and discharges to Watab River, North Fork.

The draft permit adjusts final limit for chloride to 230mg/l from 225mg/l due to initial mathematical error.

The draft permit is carrying forward the existing chloride compliance schedule from previous permit issued in 2024 as it is still in effect. The compliance schedule requires the permittee to meet the chloride limit as soon as possible, but no later than March 31, 2029.

The draft permit does not authorize any construction or changes to the facility.

Water quality permits - or National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits - establish specific limits and requirements to protect Minnesota's surface and groundwater quality. 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. Permits are enforced through a combination of self-reporting and compliance monitoring.