Transportation Company Needed Technical Support To Address Enforcement Action

Caltha LLP Project Summary

Project: Response To MPCA NOV For Industrial Stormwater Discharges and Non-Storm Water Discharge
Client: Transportation Sector
Location(s): Minnesota


Key Elements:  Compliance with No Exposure Certification, Compliance with prohibition of unauthorized non storm water discharge


Overview:  In a routine compliance inspection of industrial sites which had submitted no exposure certifications (NEC) being conducted by the State, this facility was found to be in non-compliance with both the conditions of the NEC and was also found to be discharging wash water without a permit. The facility was placed in enforcement action to resolve these issues.

Caltha LLP was retained by the facility to assist them in evaluating requirements to meet the NEC and to identify options for addressing unpermitted discharge. Working with facility management, it was determined that costs for necessary corrective actions to comply with the NEC were too high compared to costs to obtain and comply with an industrial stormwater discharge permit. The facility terminated its NEC and applied for permit coverage. Caltha assisted the facility in preparing a facility SWPPP using our Minnesota SWPPP template and a permit compliance plan. Alternate off-site facilities were found to eliminate the discharge of unauthorized wastewater releases from the facility.


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Trade Group Needed Technical Support For Public Comments In Water Standard

Caltha LLP Project Summary

Project: Water Quality Standards Development Public Comment Support
Client: Agricultural Products Sector Trade Group
Location(s): Kansas


Key Elements: Water quality standards development, Public testimony, Public comments


Overview: Caltha LLP provided technical support to the trade group and its members to address proposed water quality standards for atrazine, a widely used herbicide. A draft ambient water quality standard for atrazine was being proposed by the US EPA Office of Water and was being reviewed by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Science Advisory Panel, convened in Washington DC. Caltha reviewed underlying studies and other research which were being used to derive the proposed standards, and provided oral testimony before the SAP on technical concerns regarding the calculation of the proposed standards.


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Iowa Food Processing Plant Needed Water Reduction Management Plan

Caltha LLP Project Summary

Project: Water Use Reduction Audit / Water Usage Management Program
Client: International Food Processor
Location(s): Iowa


Key Elements: Water use reduction audit, Water use process control limits, Water use management plan


Overview: This large facility wished to reduce overall water usage as a corporate initiative to reduce environmental impacts of its operations and because the facility was approaching permitted limits for wastewater discharge to the local POTW. Water was used in a wide variety of processes around the facility, and water usage inside the plant was monitored by a set of water meters collecting daily total usage at various points around the water distribution system. Project elements included:

• Developing a Water Use Map for the facility,
• Review and statistically analysis of previous five years of water meter  and daily processing throughput data,
• Identification of specific processes determined to be “out-of-control”, defined as those process areas where variations in water usage were poorly correlated to production.

Once targeted processes were identified, control limits were calculated for each process so that daily water use could be quickly evaluated by facility staff to determine if immediate corrective action(s) were needed. Using this system, incremental improvements on water use reduction were realized.


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Constructed Wetland Annual Inspection And Monitoring Report

Caltha LLP Project Summary

Project: Constructed Wetland – Wetland Mitigation Annual Inspection and Monitoring Report
Client: Metropolitan Council
Location(s): Minnesota


Key Elements: Constructed wetland inspection, Preparation of annual wetland monitoring report


Overview: Caltha was contracted to provide inspection services to review the condition, hydrology and wetland plant species diversity for this constructed wetland project. Caltha conducted a site inspection to identify prevalent wetland plant species and their relative abundance. The wetland survey also identified invasive species and made recommendations for enhanced control of specific invasive wetland plants which were identified at the site. An annual wetland monitoring report was prepared to be submitted to the local watershed district, which permitted the wetland mitigation, local city officials, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.


For more information on Caltha LLP services, go to the Caltha Contact Page