IMMEDIATE WATER POLLUTION CONTROL MEEDS OF THE SAINT LOUIS RIVER BASIN MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN LAKE SUPERIOR WATERSHED ------- CONTENTS Chapter Number_ Title Page 1 INTRODUCTION 1-1 Purpose and Scope 1-1 Authority 1-1 Basin Characteristics 1-1 Importance 1-2 Problem Areas ............ 1-3 Present Water Quality Problems ...... 1-4 2 IMMEDIATE POLLUTION CONTROL NEEDS 2-1 Municipal Pollution Sources 2-1 Industrial Pollution Sources 2-5 Other Pollution Sources . 2-8 3 COSTS 3-1 4 RECENT PROGRESS IN POLLUTION CONTROL 4-1 REFERENCES ------- TABLES Table After No._ Title Page 2-1 Municipal Waste Needs 2-9 2-2 Industrial Waste Needs 2-9 2-3 Other Needs 2-9 3-1 Municipal Waste Treatment Plant Construction Costs . . 3-1 - ii ------- FIGURES Figure After No. Title Page 1-1 St. Louis River Basin . . 1-1 iii ------- ------- CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Purpose and Scope The purpose of this report is to focus attention on known sources of pollution in the St. Louis River Basin (Figure 1-1) and to provide a priority for action. The recommendations in this report are based on information supplied by the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin, reconnais- ance surveys conducted by the Chicago Program Office staff and preliminary engineering considerations. No detailed v/ater quality surveys or engineer- ing studies were carried out for the preparation of this report. Authority This report was prepared in accordance with Section 3(a) of the Federal V/ater Pollution Control Act, as amended (33 USC 466 et seq). Basin Characteristics Geography The St. Louis River, with a drainage area of 3,860 square miles, is an interstate stream that forms part of the Minnesota-Wisconsin boundary. Approximately 3,575 square miles are located in Minnesota and 285 in Wisconsin. The St. Louis River Basin is rectangular in shape with its principal axis extending from a northeast to southwest direction for approximately 80 miles. 1-1 ------- ------- 93 Note = Numbers Refer to Table 2-1 SCALE IN MILES GREAT LAKES— ILLINOIS RIVER BASINS PROJECT ST. LOUIS RIVER BASIN U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FEDERALWATER POLLUTION CONTROL ADMINISTRATION GREAT LAKES REGION CHICAGO.ILLINOIS ------- Minnesota counties in the study area include portions of St. Louis, Itaska, Lake, and Carlton counties. Only Douglas County in Wisconsin contains any of the drainage area. Hydrology The mean discharge rate of the St. Louis River is 2,440 cubic feet per second (cfs) based on 57 year information obtained at the U. S. (8) Geological Survey gaging station at Scanlon, Minnesota. Maximum and minimum rates are 42,600 cfs and 90 cfs, respectively. Population The St. Louis River Basin had a I960 population of 260,000 with a municipal population of 210,000 or 80^ of the total. Area Economy A considerable variety of industry exists in the area. Major industries in Carlton County include pulp and paper products and petroleum refining. Major industries in St. Louis County include steel rolling and finishing, food and kindred products, and non-electrical machinery. The major mining activity is for iron ore. Importance of Pollution Control in Lake Superior Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water in North America, must be preserved. Future uses of the Lake for all purposes require con- tinued efforts to reduce pollutants to the lowest possible levels. Nutrients in the form of phosphates and nitrates must be limited to concentrations that wj.ll not lead to excessive algal blooms and hence eutrophication. (1) Phosphates are the easiest of the two nutrients mentioned to control. 1-2 ------- ------- Experience with Lake Erie has shown what can happen to a large body of water which is allowed to be a receptacle for pollutants. However, the trend toward eutrophication may be reversed in Lake Erie by extensive pollution control actions due to natural flushing and to Lake Erie's relatively small volume. Damage to Lake Superior water quality on the other hand may very well be irreversible, since Lake Superior has a much greater volume and annual flow out of the Lake is a very small percentage of the volume. This emphasizes the importance of pollution control in the Lake Superior Watershed. The St. Louis River is a major tributary to Lake Superior and control of its pollution is vital to the protection of the Lake. Problem Areas 1. Upper_Riyer - Many municipalities do not provide adequate treatment of wastes in the Upper St. Louis River Basin. This means that problem areas probably exist, although information is limited in this regard. The recommended actions cited in Chapter 2 are aimed at improving waste treatment in this area. 2. Lower River - The Lower St. Louis River from Cloquet to Billings Park is polluted, based on information furnished by the Minnesota Department of Health and on reconnaissance (3)(11) studies made by the Chicago Program Office. This is evidenced by low dissolved oxygen, excessive algal volumes, sludge banks and some high coliform counts. Considerable debris and oil slicks have been noted in the Duluth-Superior 1-3 ------- ------- Harbor. These problems result from: a. Less than secondary treatment for municipal waste at Duluth, Superior, Cloquet, and other communities that discharge sewage effluent into the St. Louis River; b. Wastes from a number of industries in the Cloquet and Duluth-Superior areas; c. Combined sanitary and storm sewer systems in Duluth and Superior^ d. Refuse and effluents from the large number of ships using the harbor. Present Water Quality Problems The following water quality condition statements are adapted from (3) the 1961 Minnesota Department of Health Report on the St. Louis River, and from observations made by personnel from the Chicago Program Office between May 6 and October 28, 196?. (3) Minnesota Department of Health Report During both surveys (June and August, 19&1), observing from the boat, the water appeared to be turbid and colored, but when viewed in the sample bottles, it appeared clear. The small oil slicks on the surface of the water in the upper harbor during both surveys were apparently due to discharge of wastes from the large number of ships using the harbor. The waters in the Billings Park beach area were generally somewhat turbid, especially during the June (1961) survey. The 1-4 ------- ------- high velocity winds from the north and northeast resulted in a surface water movement (tide) from the main channel towards the Billings Park area. During the August survey the wind velocities were much lower, and the river and harbor waters were generally calm. At times, the bay and harbor are affected by strong winds which drive the waters up-river. Such temporary reversals or impediments to the river flow have been known to raise the water level in the bay area as high as two feet. The greatest concern has not been in the elevation of the harbor water level but the up-river movement of the currents, particularly the surface currents. It is apparent at times that sewage, wastes, or refuse discharged from any source into the lower river or bay can be carried up-river for substantial distances by these reverse currents. The results of the examination of the bacteriological samples are expressed as the concentration of coliform group organisms, MPN/100 ml (most probable number per 100 milliliters). The un- differentiated coliform group was used as an indicator of the presence of fecal material or sewage. Coliform present in the samples taken at the Billing Park beach area were relatively low, ranging from 20 to 1?0 MPN/100 ml, and averaging about 112 MPN/100 ml. Three samples collected in the inlet immediately south of the beach showed coliform concentrations 1-5 ------- ------- averaging 15,300 MPN/100 ml. (Concentrations in excess of 1,000 MPN/100 ml are considered hazardous to public health when waters containing these concentrations are used for bathing.) There are private homes located along this inlet which are served by individual septic tanks and soil absorption fields; however, at the time of the investigation, no surface discharge from these private systems were observed. On the north side of the beach, just below the Arrowhead Bridge, samples were collected in two slips that reportedly re- ceive the overflow from a raw sewage lift station during periods of breakdown or power failure. The concentration of colifonn organisms in these samples was 3>900 or 93,000 MPN/100 ml. From these data, it appears there may be substantial sources of sewage discharge on both the north and south sides near the beach, but at this time there was no evident effect on the beach as shown by the sampling and analytical data. As would be expected, the concentration of coliform organisms was relatively high in the samples collected near the outfalls of the sewage treatment plants„ The concentration of coliform organisms in the samples collected near the main Duluth plant varied from 790 to 16,000 MPN/100 ml in June (196l) and from 790 to 5,400 MPN/100 ml in August (1961). Results for the samples collected near the Fairmount district plant outfall varied from 220 to 1,000 MPN/100 ml in June and from 20 to 790 in August. Concentrations of coliform organisms in the samples collected near the Smithville district plant outfall varied from 790 to 16,000 MPN/100 ml during June, and from 1,100 to 16,000 1-6 ------- ------- MPN/100 ml in August. The sample collected at the outlet of Mud Lake, which receives the effluent of the Gary-New Duluth district plant, had a coliform concentration of 1,100 MPN/100 ml in June and 110 MPN/100 ml in August. (Based on the limited data obtained it would appear unlikely that the river could be used for body contact sports in any area other than along the Billing Park beach.) Along the Wisconsin shore, the chemical and bio-chemical examination of waters and tributary waters from Lake Superior, through Superior Bay, St. Louis Bay and upstream into the St. Louis River to Oliver Bridge in- dicated the following: (l) In Superior Bay, between Superior entry and the mouth of the Nemadji River, the DO content averaged 8.15 nig/1 with a maximum of 8.2 and a minimum of 8.1. The BOD of the composite of the depth samples was 3.0 ing/1. (2) In Superior Bay from the Superior entry to a range upstream past the Superior sewage treatment plant outfall, the DO con- tent averaged 7.6 mg/1 with a maximum of 8.2 and a minimum of 7.2. The BOD averaged 2.9 mg/1 with a maximum of 3.0 and a minimum of 2.8. (3) In the St. Louis River from Interstate Bridge, upstream into the mouth of Pokegama Bay, the DO content averaged 5.9 mg/1 with a maximum of 7.4 and minimum of 5.1. The BOD averaged 3.3 Eig/1 with a maximum of 5.7 and a minimum of 1.4. (The waters in the Billings Park Area are included.) 1-7 ------- ------- (4) Along the Wisconsin side of the main river channel, the DO content averaged 1.6 ing/1 with a maximum of 2.8 and minimum of 0.0. The BOD averaged 4.1 mg/1 with a maximum of 4.8 and minimum of 3.3. Along the Minnesota shore, the chemical and bio-chemical examination of the waters and tributary waters, from Lake Superior through Superior Bay, St. Louis Bay and upstream into the St. Louis River, indicated the following: (1) In Superior Bay from the Duluth entry along the Minnesota shore to Interstate Bridge, the DO content averaged 6.8 mg/1, with a maximum of 8.2 and a minimum of 5.7. The BOD averaged 3.4 mg/1, with a maximum of 4.3 and minimum of 2.5. (2) In St. Louis Bay from Great Northern Railroad Bridge, along Minnesota shore past the outfall of the Duluth main sewage treatment plant to Arrowhead Bridge, the DO content averaged 6.1 mg/1, with a maximum of 7.7 and minimum of 5.2. The BOD averaged 4.5 mg/1, with a maximum of 5.6 and minimum of 3.3. (3) In the St. Louis River, upstream along the Minnesota shore from the entrance to Inland Coal and Dock Company barge slip to a point between Interlake Iron Corporation and Dwights Point, the DO content averaged 5.2 mg/1, with a maximum of 6.0 and a minimum of 4.7. The BOD averaged 3.4 mg/1, with a maximum of 3.8 and minimum of 3.0. (4) In the St. Louis River upstream along Minnesota shore from the mouth of the creek discharging into the Bay west of Interlake Iron Corporation past the stream tributaries which receive the 1-8 ------- ------- effluents from the Duluth sewage treatment plants at Fair-mount Park and Smithville to a point between Morgan Park and Clough Island, the DO content average 3.0 mg/1 with a maximum of 3.7 and minimum of 2.4. The BOD averaged 3.2 mg/1, with a maximum of 3.8 and minimum of 2.5. (5) Along the St. Louis River where the Northern Pacific Railroad Bridge crosses the outlet of Mud Lake opposite the effluent discharge of the Gary-New Duluth sewage treatment plant, the DO averaged 3.6 mg/1 with a maximum of 4.9 and a minimum of 2.3. The BOD averaged 3.1 nig/1, with a maximum of 3.3 and a minimum of 2.8. (6) In the St. Louis River from Oliver Bridge upstream to where Minnesota State Hwy 23 crosses Fond du Lac, the DO content averaged 1.5 rag/1, with a maximum of 2.7 and a minimum of 0.0. The BOD averaged 4.6 mg/1, with a maximum of 7.0 and minimum of 3.3. Minimum DO concentrations acceptable for propagation of fish is (9) generally considered to be about 4 mg/1, depending upon temperature. Thus, the waters in this area above the Oliver Bridge would not support game fish. (11) Chicago Program Office Reconnaisance The town of Cloquet, Minnesota, is located approximately 15 miles above the interstate portion of the St. Louis River. Cloquet is approxi- mately 23 miles southwest of Duluth, Minnesota, and has a population (i960) 1-9 ------- ------- of approximately 10,000 people. A primary sewage treatment plant dis- charging to the St. Louis River handles the municipal wastes and some of the industrial wastes for the city. Major industries in the Cloquet area are pulp and paper type of operations. The Northwest Paper Company, the Wood Conversion Company, and the Diamond Match Company all have mills in this area. The Wood Conversion Company discharges directly to the St. Louis River. The Northwest Paper Company discharges both directly to the river and through a series of lagoons. Both of these companies discharge organic wastes which exert a high biochemical oxygen demand on the stream and contribute substantially to the discoloration of the water as well as having high loadings of suspended materials. As a result, the waters of the St. Louis River are very dark for many miles below Cloquet, Minnesota. The St. Louis River between Cloquet and Duluth, Minnesota, traverses many miles of gorge area, the total fall being several hundred feet. Con- siderable amounts of foam are generated and waters going through these gorge areas have an amber color. Some of this color may come from natural bog conditions, but a large amount of this color can be attributed to the wood processing industries located at Cloquet. Between Cloquet, Minnesota, and Duluth-Superior Harbor area are located several small towns which provide only primary treatment or less for their municipal wastes. These are the towns of Fond du Lac, Minnesota, Gary, Minnesota, New Duluth, Minnesota, Morgan Park, Minnesota and Oliver, Wisconsin. After the St. Louis River passes the towns of New Duluth, 1-10 ------- ------- Minnesota and Oliver, Wisconsin, it flows into and through a series of channels and lakes including Mud Lake and Spirit Lake before discharging to St. Louis Bay, and the harbor areas of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. In the Duluth, Minnesota area the Chung King Corporation (R. J. Reynolds Foods, Inc.) and Western Paint Company have operations which discharge to the St. Louis River. Between Gary, Minnesota and Morgan Park, Minnesota there are two major industrial complexes: Universal Atlas Cement Co. and American Steel and Wire Division of U. S. Steel. The American Steel and Wire Division of U. S. Steel manufactures steel fence posts and various types of fence and woven steel mats. The plant has two blast furnaces in addition to the usual heavy steel manufacturing facilities. The plant discharges a rust-colored to red effluent which carries for miles below the plant before losing itself in the Spirit Lake and St. Louis Bay areas of the St. Louis River. This discoloration is typical of steel cleaning operations. Sulphuric acid is used to de-scale the steel before forming operations can be carried on and thus contributes large amounts of iron and sulphate to the receiving waters. In addition to the red discoloration so typical of steel pickling operations, lagoons containing oily wastes were observed discharging to the river. This oil overflow or spillage caused oil slicks and oily conditions on the surface of the water and along the banks for a considerable distance below the steel plant. In the harbor area between Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin bounded on the upstream by the Northern Pacific RR Bridge and to the lake- ward by the High Bridge (Route 53) is the area containing the so-called upper channel, north channel, south channel, cross channel areas and the 1-11 ------- ------- Westgate Basin all within the St. Louis Bay area. This area is heavily discolored and has,at times,large slicks of oil. The Minnesota Power and Light Company is a source of thermal pollution and possibly pollution of an acid nature from coal storage areas. To the northeast of this power plant are industrial plants such as the Duluth Brass Works, National Iron Company, Elliot Packing Company, Globe-Duluth Iron Works, and another Chung King Corp. plant (R. J. Reynolds Food Co.). A series of lagoons discharge to the harbor in this area. Located on the North Channel is an ore-loading facility operated by the Duluth Missabe and Iron Range Railway. Water near these ore- loading docks is very dark and has a considerable amount of floating oil. Four primary type sewage disposal plants serve the City of Duluth. The main plant discharges into the St. Louis Bay near the north channel. This plant has a large flow which is visible from the air and does not provide adequate treatment. The Duluth Harbor Basin area is bounded by Rice's Point to the west, the City of Duluth to the north, and Minnesota Point to the east and the East Gate Basin to the south. This area has elevators for grain, iron and metal docks, fuel docks and a scrap metal terminal, contracting and dredging companies, refrigerated and general purpose docks, marine repair facilities, a Coast Guard Base, a Naval Reserve Training Center, and the U. S. Army Reserve Center. A major .source of pollution in this area is the Supervrood Corporation Plant. The Duluth Ship Canal leads 1-12 ------- ------- into the Duluth Harbor basin from Lake Superior. The discolored water from Duluth Harbor can be seen discharging almost continuously through the Duluth Ship Canal into Lake Superior. At times this discolored water can be seen a mile or more out into Lake Superior. The City of Superior docking area extends generally southeast for approximately 5 miles from the High Bridge (Route 53). This area contains general storage warehouses, coal storage docks, a paper manu- facturing facility, a cement plant, a sewage treatment plant, grain elevators, and iron ore loading docks. The natural outlet of the St. Louis River to Lake Superior is through the Superior entry. This entry is approximately 7 miles southeast of the Duluth Ship Canal and is directly opposite the Nemadji River. The most obvious sources of pollu- tion along the Superior waterfront are the City of Superior's Sewage Treatment Plant, the Superior Fiber Products Pulp and Paper manufacturing facility, ths Nemadji River, the Allouez River, and the iron loading facilities operated by the Great Northern Railroad Company and the Northern Pacific Railroad Company. All pollute the harbor. This dis- colored harbor water plus the muddy appearing water from the Nemadji River is discharged through the Superior entry directly into Lake Superior. This causes a discoloration which extends as much as two miles into Lake Superior, and on occasion extends for several miles along the Wisconsin shoreline south and east of Superior. 1-13 ------- ------- CHAPTER 2 IMMEDIATE POLLUTION CONTROL NEEDS The following lists of municipal, industrial, and other waste sources in the St. Louis River Basin was compiled from the Minnesota (3) Department of Health report of June-August 1961, a Wisconsin State (4) Health Department Report of 1966, and the Public Health Service (7) Inventory of Municipal Waste Facilities. Population figures are based on I960 census reports. Municipal Pollution Squrpes 1. City of Cloquet has a primary sewage treatment plant serving a population of 9,013. During a 1959 investiga- tion, general operation of the plant appeared good. Design capacity is 1.5 million gallons per day (mgd). Secondary treatment and advanced waste treatment for phosphorus removal should be provided. 2. Village of Carlton has primary sewage treatment facilities serving a population of 862. Plant operation appeared to be fair during a 1959 investigation. Secondary treatment should be provided. 3. Village of Scanlon has a primary sewage treatment plant serving a population of 1,126. The 1959 survey showed no chlorine residual and generally poor maintenance. Design capacity is 0.036 mgd. Secondary treatment should be provided. 2-1 ------- ------- k* Community of Esko (Unincorporated) has a secondary sewage treatment plant designed to treat 0.030 mgd of sewage and creamery wastes. Generally poor operation was observed in 1959. Better operation should be provided. 5. Duluth (population 106X884) serves all but approximately 5,900 of its total population with municipal sewage treat- ment facilities. The majority of the unserved population is in the Riverside area, which is sewered. Provisions were made in the design of the Smithville plant for the Riverside area but a connection has not been made. The length of the Duluth municipal sewer system totals approxi- mately 315 miles. Approximately three miles of this total is combined sanitary and storm sewers. Duluth is served by four primary sewage treatment plantsj i.e., the main plant and three district plants at Fainnount, Smithville, and Gary-New Duluth. The latter were constructed and placed in operation in I960. The main plant, which was constructed in 1940, contains a telemetering installation to provide continuous monitoring of some of the processes at the district plants. Following is a brief description of each plant and a summary of operational data: The Duluth main plant was designed to provide chemical flocculation, primary sedimentation, sludge digestion and incineration, and effluent chlorination for domestic sewage 2-2 ------- and a limited amount of industrial waste at the rate of 12.5 wgd. The suuraary report of plant operations in I960 showed an average sewage flow of 14.1 mgd. The flow during the June 12-16 survey period averaged 16.06 mgd, while in August it was 13.05 nigd. The summary of laboratory data for I960 showed an average reduction in SS (suspended solids) and BOD of 64.1 and 39.6 percent, respectively. The plant effluent is discharged directly to the harbor area a short distance above the Interstate Bridge (USH 53). The Gary-New Duluth district plant consists of the following units: barminutor, combination grit and pre-aeration chamber, primary settling tank, chlorinator, chlorine contact tank, and raw sludge concentration tank. The raw sludge is hauled to the main sewage treatment plant for digestion. The plant design was based on an average flow of 0.260 mgd. The effluent discharges to Mud Lake, a tributary of the St. Louis River. On June 12, 1961,all of the plant units were in operation and the general operation of the plant was satisfactory. The plant- records show that a chlorine residual of approximately 0.3 - 0.6 mg/1 was being maintained in the plant effluent. The Smithville district giant has essentially the same units as the Gary-New Duluth plant with the plant design being based on an average sewage flow'of 0.500 mgd. The effluent is discharged directly to the St. Louis River. 2-3 ------- All of the plant units were in operation on June 12} 1961. The general operation of the plant was satisfactory and the records show that a chlorine residual of approximately 0.2 - 0.5 mg/1 was being maintained in the plant effluent. The Fairmount Park district plant is similar to the Gary- New Duluth and Smithville plants. The plant design is based on an average sewage flow of 0.700 mgd. The effluent is discharged to the St. Louis River north of Tallas Island. Provision was made in the design of the Fairmount Park Plant for treatment of the sewage from Proctor (population 2,963). This sewage formerly was discharged without treat- ment to the river via the Duluth system, but now receives (3) (primary) treatment at this plant. Secondary treatment plus advanced waste treatment for phosphorus removal must be provided for all of Duluth*s wastes. The City of Superior (populationJ33,5631 operates a primary type sewage treatment plant which was completed in 195&. It was designed for dry weather capacity of 5 mgd and a wet weather flow of 15 mgd. The receiving water for the sub- merged effluent line is Superior Bay. The sanitary and storm sewers are combined and regulated with baffles in the storm sewer interceptors. These storm sewers have outfalls at 16 locations throughout the city and all but three dis- charge directly or indirectly into Superior Bay (lowermost 2-4 ------- portion of the St. Louis River Basin). One discharges into Towers Bay slip in St. Louis Bay, just south of Connors Point and Interstate Bridge. The other two storm sewers outfall into St. Louis Bay, approximately one-fourth (3) mile east of Arrowhead Bridge. Superior should provide secondary treatment and advanced waste treatment for phosphorus removal. 6, The following communities have minor or no treatment of their sanitary wastes: Floodwood, Iron Junction, Kelly Lake, Kerr Junction, Kinney, Mahoning Location, Keadowlands, Monroe Location, McKinley, Arnold, Elcor, Embarrass, Hermantown, Lactonia, Nopeming, Parkville, West Virginia, and Wrenshall, Minnesota; and Superior Village, Foxboro, and Oliver, Wisconsin. The above-named communities all contribute to the total pollution of the St. Louis River and help to degrade the aesthetic qualities of the River. Treatment plant needs were detailed only for those communities having a population equivalent of 400 or more. Table 2-1 gives specific recommendations for each community. Industrial Pollution Sources Recommended actions for each industry cited and for all other industries in the Basin are to study pollutional effects of process wastes and to institute corrective measures. Also, each industry should provide secondary treatment of its sanitary"wastes or connect to municipal sewer lines. 2-5 ------- ------- 1. Wood Conversion Company, Cloquet, provides fiber screening facilities and a continuous digester system to reduce the discharge of suspended solids. Sanitary sewage has been separated from the process waste and is discharged to the city sanitary sewer system. A pilot industrial waste treatment (3) aeration unit was placed in operation on December 7> 19&1. 2. Northwest Paper Company, Cloquet, provides in-plant fiber screening, lime sludge pond, and mechanical clarification for removal of suspended solids. Turbine vents have been installed at the Thomson and Fond du Lac dams for river reaeration. Sanitary sewage is segregated and discharged to (3) the city sewerage system. 3. American Cyanamid Company, Cloquet, discharges its processed wastes to the lime sludge pond of Northwest Paper Company. A septic tank and soil absorption field have been provided (3) for disposal of sanitary sewage. 4. Wrenshall Refinery, Wrenshall, provides septic tanks and soil absorption fields for disposal of sanitary sewage. An oil removal and cooling pond with a separate discharge to Silver Creek has been provided for the cooling water and boiler blowdown. The process wastes are treated by chemical neu- tralization and steam stripping, the oil being removed by means of an API oil separator and the effluent being pumped to a seepage pond. Spent caustics are recovered and hauled (3) to a nearby paper aii.ll for use as process chemicals. 2-6 ------- ------- 5. TheAmerican Steel and Wire Division, U. S. Steel Corporation is located on the lower St. Louis River just above the Smithville district sewage treatment plant. The process wastes include fly ash and flue dust from the blast furnace, waste acids and oil from the steel mill and. phenolics from the coke plant. No attempt is made to segregate sanitary sewage from the process wastes. At the time of the investigation on June 13, 1961, the mill was operating at approximately 50 percent capacity with about 1,500 people employed. Part of the sanitary sewage, and the wastes from the coke plant and blast furnace, are discharged to a settling and skimming pond. The pond system was constructed in 1954, and has been nearly filled with solids. A seepage pit i.s being used for disposal of the acid wastes from the steel mill. The settling pond overflow and the remainder of the wastes are discharged directly to the St. Louis River. Approximately 45 mgd of water is used in the mill. There is little or no (3) attempt made to recirculate or reuse the water. 6. The Superwood Corporation board mill is located on Superior Bay near the Duluth entry. The mill produces a high-density board from aspen pulp, without debarking. Process wastes from the chipper, grinder, and presses are pumped from a large sump through a ditch to a settling pond which was constructed by diking an area near a barge slip. The overflow from the pond is discharged to the Bay. Sanitary sewage is treated in 2-7 ------- ------- (3) septic tanks and discharged directly to Superior Bay. ?• The Lake Superior JRefining; Company of Superior is bounded by Stinson Avenue, Hill Avenue, and 19th Street. The wastes are first treated in an API separator, then in a series of three lagoons where they receive chemical treatment and settling. The overflow from the lagoons passes through (3) the Washington Park drainage tributary to Superior Bay. Other Poll_ution_ Source s 1. The Carlton Community Health Center (a nursing home) is located on U. S. Highway 6l north of the Village of Carlton. The home has a capacity of approximately 40 beds. The existing sewage treatment facilities consist of an Imhoff (3) Tank, dosing tank, and soil absorption field. Secondary treatment should be provided. No data are available to assess the effect the Health Center has on the St. Louis River. 2. Two Trailer Parks located north of the Miller Trunk (U. 3. Highway 53) north of Duluth are not served by the municipal sewer system. Each has an individual septic tank disposal system. In June 1961 there were noticeable signs of surface discharge of effluent at bothj although the disposal systems were designed to provide for soil absorption. The runoff, in both cases, would flow to a swamp and then to Miller's Creek, which flows into St. Louis Bay. This discharge was 2-8 ------- ------- reportedly causing a local nuisance, but no effects (3) attributable to this discharge could be found in the Bay. 3. Puluth-Superior,.Harbor; received a total of 2,491 ships in 1961 up to the tir.e of the June survey. Only 130 of this number were ocean-going vessels. During August, 289 ships passed through the Duluth port of entry and 390 through the Superior entry, for a total of 6?'9 ships entering the harbor. The average tine tied up at berth was approximately two days for ocean freighters and seven to eight hours for domestic vessels. The crews averaged approximately 35 for each ship, or a total of about 24,000 in August. The refuse and sewage from many of the ships is presumably discharged directly into the harbor waters, because shore facilities for disposal of these wastes have not been generally provided; however, the Port Authority does maintain by contract a refuse disposal • f v- • <3) service for some shipping. 4. Approximately 113_piers, wharves, and docks are located in the Duluth-Superior Harbor Area which may contribute to pollu- tion of the St. Louis River and Lake Superior. These possible pollution sources should be studied to determine their im- pact on water quality in the harbor area. 2-9 ------- ------- SUMJAI3T OF B.3EDIATE FOIiUTIOII COIFIROL 1IESD3 TABLE 2-1 MK3ICIPAL WASTE KEED3 Reauirement AW, C S, C S, C S, C S, C S, C Connection to Virginia Sever System S, C AW, C S, C AV7T, C Connection to Superior Sevor System Location St. Louis County, Minnesota " it it " „ Car It on County, Minnesota ii Douglas County, Wisconsin it Better Operation of canton cc/uiny, Secondary Treatment Plaait Minnesota Separate Storm and Sanitary Severs Entii-e Basin Responsibilities Buluth KLoodvood Kelly Lake McKinley Rernanixnm Parl^rille Vest Virginia Carlton Cloquet Scanlon * Superior Superior Village Esko CoKironity All Communities Pri- ority A C C C C C C A A A A A A A Map Location 1 2 3 k 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 - Key - C = colorination; S = secondary; AWT = advanced vaste treatment Note: Priority letters, i.e., A,B,C} indicate relative importance of pollution problems based on available information. ------- ------- TABLE 2-2 INDUSTRIAL WASTE HEEDS Study pollutional effects of process •wastes and institute corrective measures. Location Cloquet, Minn. Responsibilities Wood Conversion Co. State of Minnesota Kbrthwast Paper Co. State of Minnesota American Cyanamid State of Minnesota Study pollutional effects of process vastes and institute corrective measures. Wrenshall, Minn. Wrenshall Refinery State of Minnesota B Study pollutional effects of process vastes end institute corrective measures. Secondary treatment of sanitary vastes or connection to existing sever lines. Duluth, Minn. American Steel & Wire Division of U.S. Steel Corp. O^ - 4>.-, *-,-'• >' : ^ ,.-• - - "--'-a k.- v_* i, ^j; V ^. - ^_u ^_^ * , -• -,ct Pi: C-:i--. State of Minn. A Superior, Wis. Lake Superior Refining Co. State of Wisconsin Note: Priority letters, i.e., A,B,C, indicate relative importance of pollution problems based on available information. ------- ------- TABLE 2-3 OTHER HEEDS Requiremont Secondary treatment or connection to existing sever lines Location Carlton Community Health Center Trailer Parks on Highway 53 Responsibilities Village of Carlton State of Minnesota Priori"-.? C C Sanitary sewage inter- ceptors for ships. Refuse dicjosal for ships. Duluth-Superior Harbor Port Authority B Study pollutional effect of piers, wharves, and docks. Duluth-Superior Harbor Fv/PCA Minnesota & Wisconsin Note: Priority letters, i.e., A,B,C, indicate relative importance of pollution problems based on available information. ------- ------- CHAPTER 3 COSTS Municipal waste treatment plant construction costs are listed in Table 3-1. Cost estimates for industrial waste control and other needs were not made due to lack of information. Municipal waste treatment cost estimates are based on the requirement of secondary treatment and chlorination for communities under 5>000 population, and advanced waste treatment for phosphorus re- moval and chlorination for those over 5,000 population. Costs were (6) corrected to June, 196? and were based on national averages. Twenty- five percent was added to cover administrative, engineering and legal costs. Where primary treatment existed, one-half of the value of the existing plant was deducted from the secondary costs to allow for the use of this plant and equipment. Thirty percent was added to the sewered population to arrive at a population equivalent (PE) estimate which in- cludes industrial wastes. Cost estimates were made for all communities in the basin with a raw PE of 400 or more. 3-1 ------- ------- TABLE 3-1 MUNICIPAL WAS2E TREAB-EKT PLAOT COIJSTRUCTION COSTS Municipality Duliith Main Plant Saithvnie Fairuount Paric Gary-IJev Duluth Floodwood KeUy take McKinley Herman toxm Parkville West Virginia Carlton Cloquet Scanlon Superior Superior Village Current Treat- County ment St. Louis, Mina. P P P P N St. Louis, Minn. N N N N N Carlton, Minn. P P P Douglas, Vis. P N Needed Costs Treatment AWT, C AWT, C AWT, C AWT, C S, C $5,360,000 S, C S, C S, C S, C Connsction to Virginia Sever System $ 308,000 S, C AWT, C S, C $ 970,000 AWT, C Connection to Superior Sever System $1,780,000 Key - P = primary; N = none or minor; C = chlorination; S = secondary; AWT = advanced waste treatment $8, if 18,000 ------- ------- CHAPTER 4 RECENT PROGRESS IN POLLUTION CONTROL Since 1954, the date of the last comprehensive pollution study (10) in the Lake Superior drainage basin, some minor progress has been made in pollution control. The town of Biwabik, after showing some deteriora- tion in sei^age treatment plant operation, built a new plant. Four other towns, Babbitt, Hoyt Lakes, Mountain Iron, and Chisolm have built secondary treatment plants since 1954; and two towns, Cloquet and Carlton built primary sewage treatment plants. Seven plants with primary or secondary treatment had marked deterioration in treatment due either to increased loadings or decreased plant efficiency. These changes do not affect appreciably the low level of treatment given wastes in this Basin. Pri- mary treatment remains the rule rather than the exception. The water pollution control authorities of the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin together with the officials of local communities and in- dustries share the primary responsibility for the conditions existing in the St. Louis River Basin. 4-1 ------- ------- REFERENCES 1. Savyer, C. N. Some Hew Aspects of Phosphates in Relation to Lake Fertilization, gevage and Industrial Wastes, 2k, 6 (June 1952). 2. "More Air, More Sludge, Less Phosphates," Engineering Neva Record, January 26, 1967. 3. Minnesota Department of Health Report on pollution survey of the St. Louis River, unpublished, 1961. k* Wisconsin State Health Department, Report on the Investigation £? the PojLlutjLpn in the Lake Superior ; Drainage Basin Made During 19oT"end ~ " 5. U.S. Public Health Service, Modem Sewage Treatment Plants, Pub. #1229, 6. Smith, Robert. "A Compilation of Cost Information for Conventional and Advanced Waste-water Treatment Plants and Processes, " USDI, FWPCA, AWT Branch, Division of Research, Cincinnati Water Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, Ohio, December 7. UoS,, Public Health Service, Inventory of Municipal Waste Facilities, Washington, D0C0, 196l to 8. U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Bata for Minnesota, 9. Water Resources Agency of California, State Water Quality Control Board, Water Quality Criteria, Pub. No. 3-A, 1963. 10. UoS. Public Health Service, A Comprehensive Program fpr^ Water PoJJLution Control for the Like Superior Drainage Basin, Water Pollution Series No. 66 11. Federal Water Pollution Control Administration, Pollution Observations in the Lake Superior Basin, February, 1968 0 ------- ------- ------- ------- |