The Minnesota Environmental Science and Economic Review Board (MESERB), a joint powers board dedicated to ensuring wastewater treatment regulations are reasonable and based on sound science, held its annual meeting in St. Cloud on May 20. A highlight of the meeting was a presentation from Minnesota Pollution Control Agency biologist Mark Ferrey about endocrine disrupting compounds being found in Minnesota’s lakes and rivers. These compounds can be found in medications, plastics, personal care products, and even your morning coffee. The environmental impacts of these compounds are still poorly understood, but they seem to be showing up everywhere. MESERB’s members are eager to learn more about these compounds and see what they can do to protect Minnesota’s waters.
MESERB board members also approved the following 2010-2011 work plan:
• Propose numeric nutrient standards for rivers and streams
• Propose changes to environmental laboratory regulations
• Monitor the progress of the phosphorus/turbidity TMDL for Lake Pepin
• Propose changes to Minnesota’s water quality anti-degradation rules
• Propose rules to regulate pollutant trading
• Provide input on EPA proposals regarding nutrient and ammonia standards and wet-weather bypass events.
Flaherty & Hood serves as general counsel for MESERB, with technical consulting assistance from Hall & Associates. Since 1996, MESERB has worked on wastewater regulatory and legal issues on behalf of local governments, including its 36 local government unit members and five non-voting associates.
