January 2026

January 2026

Inside the Newsletter:

Intern Applications | Wastewater Optimization | Preparing for Snow & Ice | Events | Funding Opportunities

Apply now for Your 2026 MnTAP Intern

Intern dressed in a hard hat and safety glasses using an infrared gun or thermometer on pipes and equipment. In case you’ve missed it, we’ve extended the proposal deadline for the 2026 MnTAP Intern Program to January 31st. Don’t miss your opportunity to get help resolving those stubborn waste, water, or energy utilization challenges at your facility that you just have no time to tackle. Do you have a project idea, but are not sure if the focus or timing is right? MnTAP staff can help you evaluate this before or after your proposal submission.

DON’T WAIT – Apply for a 2026 MnTAP Intern TODAY!

The MnTAP Intern Program pairs manufacturing, food processing, hospitality, and other facilities in Minnesota with an undergraduate or graduate student, who researches on and recommends water conservation, energy efficiency, and/or pollution prevention solutions. MnTAP Interns have helped identify opportunities that save participating companies millions of dollars annually.

If your company could use another set of eyes to achieve similar results, please apply now or give us a call! We anticipate supporting 15 to 17 projects with potential focus areas of water conservation, energy efficiency, sustainable chemistry, solid waste, and/or pollution prevention (e.g., air and water).

Proposals will be accepted through January 31st, and organizations will be contacted by MnTAP technical staff within two weeks of submission for additional project development and scoping. If you are interested in the program but feel that our proposal deadline of January 31st does not leave enough time, please contact Matt Domski at mdomski@umn.edu or (612) 624-5119.

For more information about the intern program or the application process, visit the MnTAP Intern Program webpages for Businesses. Use this Apply link to access the Intern Company Proposal form.

Contact

Matt Domski  – Intern Program Manager
  mdomski@umn.edu
612-624-5119

Ten Years of Wastewater Optimization!

Satellite View of the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Montevideo, MinnesotaFor over 10 years, MnTAP has been working on projects related to wastewater treatment efficiency. Explore the projects and see if you find something that could benefit your municipality!

Project 1: Energy Efficiency Implementation in Minnesota Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Funded by the Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources

In partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

In this project, MnTAP learned the basics of wastewater energy efficiency. The first key outcome from this project is that plants can save energy by optimizing secondary aeration. In this treatment process, microbes consume oxygen to break down waste. Oxygen is often supplied by large industrial blowers, large rotors, or aerators. Regardless of the supply, a useful initial target is to maintain a dissolved oxygen concentration of 2 milligrams per liter (mg/L) within the secondary aeration tanks. In this early project, many of the assessed tanks were holding significantly higher oxygen concentrations, resulting in extra aeration energy consumption and extra energy costs. In most treatment plants, this process uses the most energy, so saving energy here by maintaining a dissolved oxygen concentration of 2 mg/L is often the best place to start.

Project 2: Driving Wastewater Treatment Energy Efficiency: A Cohort Training and Implementation Plan

Funded by the Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources

In partnership with the Center for Energy and Environment

This project involved summarizing wastewater energy efficiency learnings to develop a series of wastewater energy efficiency training modules. The developed modules cover benchmarking, secondary aeration efficiency, digester efficiency, and continuous improvement and next steps. This included training operators on estimating oxygen requirements; estimating mixing needs; calculating energy and cost savings; and solving positive displacement (PD) blower, centrifugal blower, and rotor aeration curves.

Project 3: Nutrient Optimization in Minnesota Wastewater Treatment Plants and Ponds

Funded by the Legislative Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR)

In partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) & Minnesota Rural Water Association (MRWA)

In wastewater treatment plants, nutrient pollution refers to nitrogen and phosphorus. These are known as agents of growth, and when discharged in large quantities, can cause algal blooms to grow in the receiving waters. Left unchecked, these algal blooms can outgrow the carrying capacity of the local body of water, eventually choking the oxygen out of the water and creating a dead zone. Nutrient treatment helps to remove these pollutants from the water, helping to keep our water bodies clean.

In this project, MnTAP partnered with MRWA and MPCA to complete a series of nutrient optimization assessments. The teams completed assessments with over 10 mechanical wastewater treatment plants and over 20 wastewater pond sites. This project involved using a process modeling program called Activated Sludge Simulation Model (ASIM) to model the baseline flow through mechanical plants and then model a new flow design, which would achieve biological nutrient removal.

This team could not find existing modeling software designed for wastewater pond systems. Therefore, the team carried out site visits to both pond sites carrying out successful nutrient treatments and pond sites that were struggling. These visits and analysis helped the team identify patterns that could lead to useful strategies to improve treatment.

Inspired by the sites with good treatment, the project team developed a treatment strategy named the “Steady State Primary Method” that is based on the operations of Robert Kloeckl at the City of Gaylord Wastewater Pond System. The following process occurs for a three-pond system that involves keeping ponds #1 and #3 as full as possible throughout treatment:

  1. As new wastewater flows into pond #1, this water displaces existing, treated water in pond #1.
  2. This excess water then flows over the 6-inch slide gate, which stands between pond #1 and pond #2, before slowly filling up pond #2.
  3. Once pond #2 is nearly full, the slide gates are closed, and the water from pond #3 is discharged.
  4. The water from pond #2 is subsequently transferred into pond #3.

This then restarts the pattern while keeping ponds #1 and #3 mostly full.

This team has two theories as to why this method seems to be so effective. The first is that it tends to increase hydraulic retention time, providing more overall time for treatment to occur. The second possible reason is that feeding consistent loading into a full pond #1 may create a steady microbial ecosystem that becomes more efficient at utilizing the resources provided in the influent wastewater.

Project 4: MN WWTP Energy Efficiency Cohort Training and Implementation Support Program

Funded by the Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources

In this project, the MnTAP team was able use the energy training modules developed in a previous project to train wastewater operators on energy efficiency. This was done through a series of 9 training cohorts completed over 3 years. Each cohort contained operators from 2 to 5 wastewater treatment plants.  Each training session was 4 hours, with sessions spread out using 2-to-4-week gaps. These gaps were planned intentionally to give operators time after each of the more technical modules to trial and implement energy efficiency strategies at their own plants before starting a new topic. Trainings provided operators with continuous education credits and resulted in large energy savings for many of the participating sites.

Project 5: Wastewater Pond Optimization Implementation

Funded by the Legislative Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR)

In partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) & the Minnesota Rural Water Association (MRWA)

This project was another partnership with MRWA and MPCA. In this project, MRWA completed roughly 5 wastewater pond site visits every two weeks. These site visits include sharing the key findings from the previous wastewater pond project and teaching operators about the Steady State Primary Method as a strategy to improve treatment. The project resulted in direct site visits with 219 wastewater pond sites throughout Minnesota.

Contact

Jon Vanyo – Senior Engineer
  jvanyo@umn.edu
612-624-4683

Advice that’s Worth One’s Salt: How to Prepare for Winter Snow and Ice

A person wearing yellow boots is spreading salt with a red push or walk-behind spreader. Winter months mean the holiday season, family time, and plenty of ice and snow on our sidewalks and parking lots. Slips and falls can have serious consequences. In 2023, almost 800 people slipped and fell on ice or snow that resulted in over $4 million of insurance claims (League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust). After a single snow and ice storm, Hennepin County Medical Center reported a 20% increase of emergency room visits due to falls (Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance). Applying sodium chloride or salt can make sidewalk and parking lot surfaces safer for pedestrians, employees, constituents, and customers.

However, a teaspoon of salt can permanently pollute five gallons of water. Too much salt can also hurt pets that lick their paws, wildlife (like amphibians), plants, and ecosystems. Given how salt is corrosive and can damage even concrete and metal, salt can increase wear and maintenance costs on equipment or shared infrastructure, like roads and sidewalks.

In this article, we will review some tips we shared last year about reducing salt use while maintaining safer sidewalks and parking lots. We will then introduce another technique, brining, which may be useful to larger organizations and companies.

Salting Tips

Salt works by lowering water’s freezing point (so ice can melt below 32˚ Fahrenheit) and preventing water molecules from forming into ice crystals. Over time, salt can also loosen ice to make it easier to remove by shoveling or plowing. The following tips may help you salt more effectively this winter.

  • Reduce the number of surfaces that require salt. Physical barriers can be set up to close off seldomly used entrances or paths to reduce the number of surfaces that need to be salted. It is also helpful to plan ahead and apply salt only in critical areas.
  • Keep up with sidewalk and parking lot maintenance. Repaired sidewalks and parking lots, proper grading, and drainage can prevent water from collecting and freezing. After snowfall, it is important to monitor if snowplows have created dams on sidewalks, which may prevent ice melt from draining into storm drains, and clear this stagnant water or ice promptly.
  • Choose smoother pellets. Sometimes rock salt’s highly crystalline structure can reduce the contact between the salt and ice, and this makes it less effective. Salt pellets are more likely to dissolve and be able to work faster.
  • Clear surfaces as soon as snow falls. Shovels, snowplows, ice scrapers, and snow blowers are all effective in preventing ice from building up. Prompt physical removal of snow and ice may reduce the amount of salt or sand needed for surfaces to be safe to walk or drive on. In addition, make sure to remove snow before spreading salt on ice.
  • Only use sodium chloride when the temperature is above 15˚Fahrenheit. While salt will not work below this temperature, adding sand or grit could be helpful. These can provide temporary traction for pedestrians walking on otherwise slippery surfaces. Reading all product labels carefully will help you understand the proper amounts to use at different temperatures.
  • Use salt sparingly. Since each grain of salt can melt a three-inch circle of ice, granules should be spaced evenly at about three inches apart. Therefore, two-thirds of a 12-ounce coffee mug of salt would be enough to cover a parking stall, and one 12-ounce coffee mug of salt would adequately cover 10 sidewalk squares or a 20-foot driveway.
  • Sweep leftover salt and sand when no longer needed. Promptly sweeping up excess salt after ice or snowmelt can reduce the amount of salt that can damage concrete or end up in our water bodies. Sometimes, excess salt can be saved and reused for the next storm. If salt needs to be disposed of, please check the local regulations to see if salt can be discarded in the regular trash.

Exploring brining as an anti-icing agent

Larger companies and organizations might want to consider applying brine instead of salt. Brine is water mixed with salt to achieve a 23% concentration of salt. When brine is applied to roads and sidewalks for up to 24 hours before a snowstorm hits, brine can act as a barrier to keep ice from attaching to road and sidewalk surfaces. For more general information about concentrations and how to making brining effective, check out pages 81 to 83 of the MPCA’s guide for Smart Salting for Parking Lots & Sidewalks.

Unlike salt that needs time to dissolve, brine as a liquid is effective immediately, which leads to less salt being used. Brine also sticks to the road whereas some rock salt will ricochet or be blown off the road during application. All in all, using brine can reduce salt use by up to 50% compared to rock salt (Mississippi Watershed Management Organization).

Unfortunately, creating and maintaining a brining program is not easy. Purchasing equipment to mix, store, and apply brine over an extensive area can require significant upfront costs and training. It can be challenging to store large quantities of liquid brine. Since brine is corrosive, using brine can drive up the maintenance costs for vehicles spreading brine and damage concrete over time.

If you are interested in learning more about how to use brine over a small area, please review this guide from The Conservation Foundation. For larger scale applications, you can learn more about equipment needs and best management practices from this guide created by the Technology Transfer Center.

Conclusion

As long as people slip and fall on ice, companies and organizations will continue to explore options that can make sidewalks and parking lots safer over our icy winters. This article investigated two viable, salt-oriented methods along with including tips or resources on how to save money and protect our environment for each approach.

If you would like to learn even more about applying enough salt to keep surfaces safe while reducing chloride pollution, MnTAP recommends the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Smart Salting training. MPCA hosts a variety of no-cost training sessions geared towards different workers, including snowplow operators and property managers. Topics will depend on the audience but could include regulatory issues and liability; analyzing winter weather data before salting; and best management practices in calibrating and setting application rates for salt spreaders, plowing or physically removing snow, and storing salt to reduce chloride runoff. To see what MPCA Smart Salting Trainings are coming up, please scroll down to the “Upcoming Events” section to learn more.

Author or Contact

Laura Sevcik – Engineer
  lsevcik@umn.edu
612-624-8192

Jocelyn Leung – Communications Specialist

Events

Smart Salting: Community Leaders Workshop
MPCA

January 28, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Virtual, No Cost

This workshop helps community leaders understand the impacts of chloride on infrastructure and water resources and provides them with resources and specific action steps to make policy changes in their communities to reduce salt pollution. Intended audience includes: city council members, board members of watershed districts or housing associations, state legislators, and other local decision makers who are not directly involved in road salt application or water softener use but could benefit from learning about the advantages of Smart Salting. Learn more and register on the MPCA website.

2026 Minnesota Erosion Control Association (MECA) Conference
Minnesota Erosion Control Association

January 27 to 29, 2026

Location: Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center at 1 Civic Center Plaza Mankato, MN 56001
Cost: $210 to $435 for non-member prices

If you want to learn how to better control erosion and improve compliance with your Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) permit, you should attend the 2026 Minnesota Erosion Control Association (MECA) Conference & Trade Show. This premier statewide event brings together professionals, educators, policymakers, and industry leaders dedicated to advancing erosion control, stormwater management, and environmental stewardship across Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.

Pre-conference workshops on Tuesday, January 27, offer in-depth training opportunities:

  • MS4 Permit Update, Audit-Proof Your MS4 Program & New MS4 Resources in partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) – Kevin Strauss and Ken Zeik (MPCA municipal stormwater inspectors) will share an interactive and educational workshop to educate and inspire you to improve compliance with your MS4 stormwater permit. Learn about the most common non-compliant items on recent audits, the new MS4 Implementation Guide (with documents you can use to comply with all MS4 permit requirements), and hear an update on the new MS4 permit.
  • Analyzing Soils for Wetlands and Stormwater (sponsored by the Minnesota Association of Professional Soils Scientists)
  • Managing Small Sites Workshop (facilitated by the University of Minnesota Erosion and Stormwater Management Certification Program)

Review other upcoming sessions and register at the MECA website.

Smart Salting: Property Management Certification Training
MPCA

February 19, 2026, 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM

Virtual, No Cost

Participants will learn: how to reduce damages caused by salt, how reducing salt use can save money while providing safe surfaces, what are ways to encourage your maintenance crew to use sustainable practices, how to address liability concerns, and what are other essential basics of snow and ice management tools. Upon completion of training and passing the test issued at the end of training, you will earn a Smart Salting certification that expires three years from the date of training. Intended audience: property managers, environmental professionals and advocates, business owners, those who hire private winter maintenance professionals, MS4 and Wastewater permit staff, and public works directors or other high-level management roles. Learn more and register on this MPCA website.

Funding Opportunities