Title: Evaluation of Water Quality Impact Caused by Winter Wastewater Discharges into the Red River

Focus Categories: Water Quality, Water Supply, Nutrients

Project No. ND95-04

Principal Investigator: Charles J. Moretti - Department of Civil Engineering, UND

Completion Report

Moretti, Charles, Merilyn Jordahl and Roger Weisenberger, 1996, Evaluation of Water Quality Impact Caused by Winter Wastewater Discharges into the Red River, Rept. No. ND95-04, North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, 25 pages.

Other Publications

Jordahl, Marilyn, 1996, Chlorine Demand at the Grand Forks Water Treatment Plant Caused by Winter Wastewater Discharge into the Red River, “ME Project Report”, Department of Civil Engineering, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, 39 pages.

Weisenburger, Roger, 1996, A Study of Winter Wastewater Discharge Effects on Nitrogenous Compounds in the Red River During Low Flow Conditions, “ME Project Report”, Department of Civil Engineering, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, 42 pages.

Significant Findings

The major water quality concern associated with winter discharges from wastewater treatment plants located at Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota was determined to be the amount of nitrate released into the Red River. It was determined that under wintertime low-flow conditions, the discharge from the City of Fargo WWTP could significantly raise the nitrate concentration in the Red River. It was concluded however that the nitrate concentration would not exceed the primary drinking water standard of 10 mg/l NO₃-N at any point downstream from the discharge between the cities of Fargo and Grand Forks. This conclusion was based on analyses performed using a water quality computer model developed for the Red River.