DNR plans hearing on new C.R. wastewater discharge permit

UPDATE: EXPANDED WITH COMMENTS OF SIERRA CLUB AND ENDANGERED RIVERS RANKING FROM AMERICAN RIVERS

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will hold a public hearing on at 7 p.m. Dec. 14 on the renewal of a City of Cedar Rapids permit to discharge wastewater into the Cedar River.

The hearing will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, at Coe College. It willl be held in the Kesler Lecture Hall at Hickock Hall, 1220 First Ave. NE.

The Iowa Environmental Council, Sierra Club, and other environmental groups have concerns about the impact of the impact of the permit's conditions on the Cedar River, noting that the Cedar River at Palisades Kepler State Park 2.3 miles doenstream of the discharge is listed as impaired due to shrinking mussel pouplations.

They voiced concerns to members about greater limits for ammonia than those currently discharged, and proposed mercury limits from Cedar Rapids' two outlets.

The groups also expressed concerns about "flow variable" limits on ammonia discharge, which allow discharges to increase as the Cedar River's flow increases. It argues that the flow-variable limits do not cap the total amount of ammonia the city can release, and proposes mercury limits assuming mixing or dilution from a diffiuser at the city's discharge point. The variable limits and mixing zones don't account for uncertainties that can lead to acute or chronic toxicity, the council said.

Sierra Club attorney Wally Taylor of Cedar Rapids said the permit expires and must be renewed every five years. He said the renewal process began several years ago, but was set back by the June 2008 flooding that damaged the city's wastewater treatment operations.

Taylor said he also plans to challenge analysis in the permit application indicating the water discharges will not degrade water quality in the Cedar River, which is required to meet the standards of a recent state law.

Cedar Rapids has one of the larger wastewater discharges in the state due to the concentration of water-consuming industries in the city, Taylor said, noting that many of those industries lack facilities that pre-treat the wastewater before it enters the city wastewater system.

The environmental group American Rivers ranked the Cedar River the fifth most endangered river in the country earlier this year. The group cited the intensity of flooding experienced on the river in saying more watershed management work is needed to slow runoff and improve water quality.