Location: Shakopee Serves: 300,000 people Discharges to: Minnesota River
The Blue Lake Water Resource Recovery Facility is the second largest of our facilities and the third-largest facility in Minnesota. Located in Shakopee, this facility treats an average of 27 million gallons of wastewater per day to protect public health and the environment.
To reduce climate risks and impacts on water sources, the facility provides primary and secondary treatment to wastewater before discharging the resulting clean water to the Minnesota River. This water is cleaner than the river water itself.
Metropolitan Council Environmental Services is committed to increasing options for resource recovery. Solids removed from the wastewater are dewatered, dried, and pelletized for use as an agricultural fertilizer, under a public-private partnership between the Met Council and the New England Fertilizer Company. An additional solids treatment process called anaerobic digestion produces methane gas that helps power the solids drying equipment.
The Blue Lake Water Resource Recovery Facility has an excellent environmental record and regularly earns state and national awards for operational excellence. It has earned a National Association of Clean Water Agencies Platinum Peak Performance Award for perfect clean water discharge permit compliance for multiple consecutive years.
Wastewater from 30 cities is transported through 129 miles of regional sanitary sewer pipes (interceptors) to the facility.