St. Michael Wastewater Treatment Facility

In anticipation of developments in and around the area, the City of St. Michael needed to construct a new wastewater treatment facility. The City's wastewater treatment facility was operating at maximum capacity while the demand for new connections was at an all-time high. MFRA was hired in 1994 to design a new cost-effective facility to meet the increased demands.

To qualify for state funding, MFRA prepared a Facilities Plan that included the evaluation of several sludge processing options. One option, reed bed technology, offered substantial life-cycle savings due to very low operating costs when compared with conventional technologies. Even though reed bed technology is new to the state of Minnesota, MFRA worked closely with the City and gained prompt MPCA approval of the process without delaying design or construction.

Using a fast track design process, the St. Michael wastewater treatment facility began operation only ten months after the MPCA approved the plans and specifications. Because of the success of this innovative design, the facility is now a model for sludge stabilization and storage at new wastewater treatment facilities throughout cold-climate communities in the U.S. and Canada. This project received the Seven Wonders of Engineering award from the Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers and a Grand Award from the Minnesota Consulting Engineers Council.