Wastewater
Wastewater Department
The Brainerd Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) is a Class A facility designed to treat an average wet weather flow of 6.0 MGD with a CBOD5 Influent concentration of 240 mg/L and a TSS concentration of 240 mg/L.
The Facility receives wastewater from the communities of Brainerd and Baxter. The Brainerd interceptor system consists of 2,745 feet of 20-inch force main, 587 feet of dual 20-inch river crossing main and 1,510 feet of 30-inch interceptor sewer.
The facility consists of a main lift station, which contains a mechanically cleaned bar screen and an aerated grit chamber, which pumps to the Facility Headworks building. This building contains two self-cleaning automatic fine screens, influent flow measurement, and a Pista-Grit grit removal system. The flow then goes into one of four Sequencing Batch Reactors (SBR) for secondary treatment. Biologically treated wastewater is decanted out of the SBR’s into one of two Effluent EQ Basins where it is pumped to disinfection, which consists of two banks of Ultraviolet (UV) bulbs.
Waste Activated Sludge (WAS) from the SBR’s accumulates in two Waste Sludge Holding Tanks (formerly two secondary clarifiers) before being thickened on one of two Gravity Belt Thickeners. The thickened WAS is used to feed two primary heated anaerobic digesters and is further treated in two secondary digesters prior to land application. Digested sludge is held in one of two Sludge Storage Tanks. Supernatant from the digesters is discharged to an aerated holding tank (decant aeration tank) and fed into the headworks of the plant during low flow conditions. Supernatant from the Sludge Storage Tanks is discharged to one of two non-aerated holding tanks and is also fed into the headworks building.
The Facility has a continuous discharge (designated SD 003) to the Mississippi River.
The Facility and the Main lift station are equipped with standby generator power.
Engineers working on water treatment plant with laptop and measuring sensors
WASTEWATER TREATMENT RATES
All rates are effective December 1, 2023, unless otherwise noted.
| METER SIZE | MONTHLY CHARGE |
| 3/4 inch | $16.30 |
| 1 inch | $19.10 |
| 1 1/2 inch | $21.80 |
| 2 inch | $22.90 |
| 3 inch | $30.90 |
| 4 inch | $35.60 |
| 6 inch | $42.40 |
Each wastewater customer will be charged a monthly service charge based on the size of the customer’s water meter.
The monthly service charge is billed even if there is no water consumption, unless the water is shut off by BPU personnel.
In addition to the monthly service charge, each customer is billed a commodity charge of $3.65 per 1,000 gallons of water used.
If a customer’s service is outside the city limits, the customer is charged 200% for both the service and commodity charge.
WASTEWATER DEBT SERVICE RATES
| METER SIZE | DEBT SERVICE |
| 3/4 inch | $5.00 |
| 1 inch | $6.50 |
| 1 1/2 inch | $9.00 |
| 2 inch | $11.00 |
| 3 inch | $15.50 |
| 4 inch | $19.50 |
| 6 inch | $27.50 |
Each wastewater customer is charged the following monthly debt service charge based on the size of their water meter. This charge is to fund a portion of the upgrade and expansion of the wastewater treatment facility.
If a customer’s service is outside the city limits, the customer is charged 200% of the above wastewater rates.
WASTEWATER COLLECTION RATES
Effective January 1, 2024
This charge is billed on behalf of the City of Brainerd to cover the maintenance costs of the City’s wastewater collection system. Each wastewater customer will be charged a monthly service charge, according to the size of their water meter.
| METER SIZE | MONTHLY CHARGE |
| 3/4 inch | $6.55 |
| 1 inch | $14.00 |
| 1 1/2 inch | $19.85 |
| 2 inch | $36.25 |
| 3 inch | $56.25 |
| 4 inch | $105.00 |
| 6 inch | $140.00 |
In addition to the monthly service charge, each customer is billed a commodity charge of $1.37 per 1,000 gallons of water used.
If a customer’s service is outside the city limits, the customer is charged 200% for both the service and commodity charge.
Summer Sprinkling Rates
Residential Customers
Residential customers are given a sprinkling credit on their wastewater treatment and collection rate for the billing months of June through September. The customer’s wastewater charges will be based on the customer’s average water consumption during the billing months of December, January, and February.
No residential customer will be allowed to install a separate water meter for a sprinkling system.
Commercial Customers
Commercial customers must purchase a separate water meter for irrigation purposes. The customer is then charged for the water usage on this meter for the months of May through September. No wastewater charges are billed for this meter.
Backflow Preventers
Both residential and commercial underground sprinkling systems shall have a backflow preventer installed in the main service connection to the sprinkling system that is in accordance with the MN Plumbing Code requirement.
About Stormwater
This charge is billed on behalf of the City of Brainerd. The revenue collected for this charge is used to maintain and improve the existing stormwater drainage system for impervious surfaces (where stormwater cannot penetrate into the ground). Residential customers are charged a $4.60 monthly fee and commercial customers are charged according to the amount of impervious surface their property has.
Stormwater is the flow of water that results from precipitation and which occurs immediately following rainfall or as a result of snowmelt. When a rainfall event occurs, several things can happen to the precipitation. Some of the precipitation infiltrates into the soil surface, some is taken up by plants and some is evaporated into the atmosphere. Stormwater is the rest of the precipitation that runs off land surfaces and impervious (incapable of being penetrated) areas.
Stormwater discharges are generated by precipitation and runoff from land, pavements, building rooftops and other surfaces. These hardened surfaces are ‘impervious surfaces’ and they do not allow rainfall to infiltrate into the soil surface like natural vegetation, so more of the rainfall becomes stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff accumulates pollutants such as oil and grease, chemical, nutrients, metals, and bacteria as it travels across land. Heavy precipitation or snowmelt can also cause sewer overflows that may contaminate water sources with untreated human and industrial waste, toxic materials, and other debris.
For any questions regarding stormwater, please call the City Engineer’s Office at 218-828-2309.
Why Be Concerned About Stormwater?
Stormwater runoff can have a number of impacts. As development and imperviousness increase in an area, the natural capacity of the soil and vegetation to infiltrate and take up rainfall decreases, and more rainfall becomes stormwater runoff. This can produce negative impacts by causing erosion of land areas and stream banks, by causing or increasing flooding and also by carrying pollutants to surface waters. As a community grows, development increases. When more houses, roads and businesses are constructed, water has nowhere to go and can cause serious drainage, pollutant, and sanitation.