WASTEWATER

North Dakota Senate adds funding for local wastewater projects to replace federal cut

About $1.9 million in federal funding was approved for the Fessenden wastewater lagoon but rescinded with the cancellation of FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. (Photo provided by Wells County Emergency Management)BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) — The North Dakota Senate this week added funding to a budget bill to help communities that lost federal grants for infrastructure projects….

ND Rural Water Systems to focus on staffing

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KVRR) — North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association wants to use its apprenticeship program to hire more workers to handle drinking water and wastewater issues. Executive Director Eric Volk testified at a congressional hearing in Washington about The Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act. Volk speaks highly of the bill and says the technical assistance they provide gives…

American Crystal fined for illegally dumping wastewater

MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR-KFGO) – American Crystal Sugar Company has been fined nearly $26,000 for wastewater discharge violations at its sugar beet processing plants in Crookston and East Grand Forks. The fines come from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The MPCA found that American Crystal made illegal discharges into the Red Lake River at the Crookston plant 12 times between April…

North Dakota bill would ban wastewater testing for COVID-19

BISMARCK, N.D. – A North Dakota lawmaker wants to ban the testing of wastewater for the coronavirus, saying the practice violates the privacy rights of college students. Republican Rep. Claire Cory introduced a bill that would prohibit wastewater testing “for genetic material or evidence of disease.” She says she brought the bill over concerns from people about wastewater testing tracing…