Permit applications await online service; on paper if needed immediately

Due to the increased efficiencies expected when the online permit application service becomes available, the MPCA is now only accepting NPDES or SDS permit applications for construction, expansion, or other modifications that cannot wait until the new service is available. A paper permit application form for these critical activities can be requested from your regional MPCA feedlot staff. Progress continues on the development of an online permit application service. Internal testing of the system will begin shortly, with release to the public in the coming months. A firm date for public access to the new service is not yet available.

Preliminary permit application form temporarily authorizes operation under expired permit

Sites with permit coverage under the NPDES general permit that expired Jan. 31, 2021, are authorized to operate under the expired permit if they have completed and returned a preliminary application form indicating their intent to apply for permit coverage when the new online permit application service becomes available. Sites wishing to switch permit coverage from NPDES to SDS permit should also complete the preliminary application form to authorize continued coverage under the now-expired NPDES general permit, and then apply for SDS permit coverage when the online permit application service becomes available. The preliminary application form and other permit documents are found on the 2021 NPDES general permit webpage.

Missed annual report March 1 deadline? Send in now 

Feedlots with NPDES or SDS operating permits that did not submit annual reports by the March 1 deadline should do so soon. The form is available on the MPCA feedlot NPDES-SDS permit webpage. Download the form (wq-f3-22b), fill out the Word version, and e-mail the completed report as a PDF document to the address provided on the form. Cover letters that accompany permits include the e-mail address of your MPCA staff contact, or call your MPCA regional office for assistance. So far the MPCA has received about 75 percent of the approximately 1,300 reports expected.

All land application records for the 12-month period starting Sept. 1, 2019, through Aug. 31, 2020, must be submitted as part of the report and on the included forms. For farms that do not transfer manure, land application records can also be generated and submitted using the MPCA excel-based Manure Management Planner under Create Crop Year Records. A link to the planner is located on the feedlot program Nutrient and Manure Management webpage. Annual reports provide valuable information for determining compliance with Minnesota’s feedlot rules. Failure to submit annual reports by the March 1 deadline may result in an enforcement action from the MPCA.

County feedlot officer annual meeting online March 25

The Minnesota Association of County Feedlot Officers (MACFO) will conduct its annual meeting via Zoom on March 25. MACFO represents counties participating in a cooperative arrangement with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and county government to administer Minnesota's feedlot rule. County feedlot programs are responsible for the implementation of feedlot rules and regulations, except for state and federal operating permits (50 counties as of January 2021, including most of the major livestock counties). MACFO is an official affiliate organization with the Association of Minnesota Counties.