The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has approved modifications to the City of Marshall’s Pretreatment Program and will be taking public comments on the program until September 2.

According to DNR, pretreatment is the reduction of the amount of pollutants, the elimination of pollutants, or the alteration of the nature of pollutant properties in wastewater before or in lieu of discharging such pollutants into a publicly-owned treatment works. Marshall Municipal Utilities General Manager Jeff Bergstrom says that certain industrial customers are required to have a pretreatment permit to discharge wastewater in their system.

 

The city currently has three industrial customers required to have the permit. The city’s modification to the program included a proposal to implement maximum daily limits for Maximum Allowable Industrial Loadings (MAILs). MMU made improvements to the Wastewater Treatment Plant in 2022, which changes the loadings of pollutants the plant can handle. Bergstrom explains which pollutants of concern are listed by DNR.

 

People wishing to comment on the program are invited to submit them in writing to the Department of Natural Resources, Water Protection Program, P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, MO, 65102, or by email to pretreatment@dnr.mo.gov by 5 p.m. Tuesday, September 2. After public comments are closed, MMU will issue amended permits to the affected customers. MMU will also need to update its Sewer Use Ordinance (SUO) with the changes.