WINONA, Minn. – The City Council approved a plan for $16 million upgrade to the municipal wastewater treatment plant to clear toxic phosphorous from sludge. City Engineer Brian DeFrang said he upgrade has been mandated by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Costs per household will go from the current $64 per quarter to $174. Although currently an unfunded state mandate, grants might become available to offset some costs, DeFrang said. New technology, he explained, will use a centrifuge to force heavy sludge to the outside so phosphorus can be removed efficiently. If funded, construction could start early next year, he said. Toxic chemicals in wastewater contribute to downriver pollution and rising hepatitis, cholera and typhoid rates. Also they’re bad for aquatic and other life forms One source of wastewater phosphorous is synthetic detergents.
