The MPCA is soliciting project proposals to distribute $10 million to communities for projects to prepare local wastewater infrastructure for the impacts of climate change. These projects are specifically meant to protect water quality and increase resilience.
Project examples include rehabilitation, upgrades, or construction related to wastewater resilience:
- Asset hardening (e.g., installations, upgrades, electrical work, equipment) for resilience
- Electrical work to protect lift stations / wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) from power outages during extreme weather events
- Overland flooding protection from rising streams (e.g., earthen basins or other barrier to prevent overland flooding of WWTP from receiving stream)
- Moving/raising discharge pipes that are submerged during high stream flows
- Installation of automated warning systems at lift stations, WWTP
- Backflow prevention in public structures to protect from flash flooding
- Treatment system resilience
- Expansion of preliminary treatment units to accommodate high influent flows
- Construction of flow equalization basins/tanks/storage
- Lift station upgrades (bigger or more pumps)
- Control structure replacement (stabilization ponds) to better control wastewater flow
- Replace direct force main discharges into stabilization ponds for collection system resilience
- Public purchase of inflow and infiltration (I&I) detection equipment
- Private or public fixes on lines identified to have high I&I
- Access cover rehabilitation
- Purchase of additional trash pumps/equipment used to move wastewater to prevent basement backups/human contact (e.g., public MnWARN trailers/tools/equipment)
- Wastewater system energy and water efficiency for resilience
- Measurable reductions in wastewater system energy and/or water consumption through process, equipment, and/or fixture upgrades
- Conversion of wastewater operations to renewable energy (wind, solar, geothermal, micro-hydroelectric, combined heat and power)
- Public recycling and water reuse projects that replace potable with non-potable water
Applications are due no later than 4 p.m. Central Standard Time on Thursday, September 26, 2024.
Informational Session:
The MPCA will hold an online-only informational meeting from 1-3 p.m. on Monday, July 29, 2024, to answer questions about this grant opportunity.