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BEMIDJI — Wastewater treatment facility projects are becoming a hot-button topic of discussion each week in Beltrami County.

And Bemidji is now on the verge of completing a final clarifier project at its located between Lake Irving and Lake Bemidji.

The project was approved in January 2024, but has been in the works for much longer.

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"Essentially in 2018, 2019, the city was experiencing pretty expansive growth," explained City Engineer Sam Anderson.

Thus, in 2018, the Bemidji City Council authorized planning for additional wastewater testing. The council then authorized a system capacity evaluation. These actions led to a 2018-19 report that found 11 of 12 wastewater treatment facility process systems could handle future city growth, excluding the final clarifiers.

"The two existing final clarifiers have enough hydraulic capacity when both are in operation," Anderson wrote in a in 2024. "However, when one clarifier is taken down for service, the system does not meet the redundancy requirements of the

"The report recommended that the city plan for the construction of a third final clarifier."

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Following preparations, the city orchestrated a $12,832,600 project budget comprised of a $4.4 million grant and utility bonds.

And at the Jan. 16, 2024, city council meeting, councilors approved a bid from Rice Lake Construction at a cost of $11,374,600, with a total project cost of $12,017,600 — including engineering design, construction inspection and admin costs.

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The final clarifier project broke ground in spring 2024 and has kept pace with the original timeline.

Substantial completion is expected by August — the clarifier will become operational at this time — and final completion is expected by October. Between the two dates, Rice Lake Construction and the city will have time to address any lingering issues or to-do list items.

This process has been detailed nearly every month via

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the project should conclude on time.

Once implemented, the third final clarifier will fulfill the state's redundancy requirements. It will also aid in potentially providing more services to the growing region.

A pre-treatment process removes large debris before depositing effluent — liquid waste or sewage — into a final clarifier, a large sedimentation tank that settles and separates solids to reduce turbidity for subsequent treatment processes.

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Final clarifiers are a necessary step in the wastewater treatment process to cleanse municipal wastewater before it discharges into local waterways.

The state regulates discharge to further preserve water quality.

Bemidji holds one of the strictest phosphorus discharge limits in Minnesota at .3 milligrams per liter, which is among the lowest in the country, according to the These limits aid the First City on the Mississippi in protecting the river as it travels southward.

The Bemidji facility, constructed in 1985, set a new course for the area, which once earned the infamous "first polluter on the Mississippi" nickname. It has earned multiple awards for its contribution to water management in the area since.

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The Bemidji facility features roughly 80 miles of piping with 31 lift stations to alter pipe elevation, collecting effluent throughout the city. It operates at roughly 60% capacity and is designed to manage future growth.

"After this project, based on that capacity report, the system or plant itself should have a lot more capacity to take on any kind of future growth the city could have for the next 10 to 20 years, pretty easily," Anderson said.

This expansion could be enacted sooner, rather than later.

Bemidji issued a notice of intent to annex portions of Northern Township to manage wastewater treatment needs in the area.

However, Northern Township is preparing to build a new wastewater facility, kitty-corner from the Bemidji facility on the east side of Lake Bemidji.

Potential negotiations could ensue.

Either way, a third final clarifier at the Bemidji wastewater treatment facility ensures the city of Bemidji has the necessary infrastructure to expand in the future.

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