Clean Water Act discharge permit · NPDES MN0049786
WLSSD WWTP, Duluth, MN: NPDES MN0049786 discharge permit, effluent exceedances, inspections, penalties
- Administratively continuedPermit status
- MajorDischarger class
- 32Pollutants under a numeric limit
- 7Pollutants with an effluent exceedance
WLSSD WWTP, held by Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD), holds NPDES permit MN0049786. EPA’s file records it issued January 1, 2019 and expiring May 31, 2021. The status and dates are as EPA’s permit file stood when Velarion loaded it (September 14, 2026); EPA’s free Detailed Facility Report on ECHO carries the permit’s current standing.
Identity
| Facility as filed | WLSSD WWTP |
|---|---|
| Permittee as filed | Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD) |
| NPDES ID | MN0049786 |
| Permit status | Administratively continued (past its expiration date and still in force until reissued) |
| Permit type | Individual permit |
| Discharger class | Major discharger |
| Facility type | Publicly owned treatment works |
| Program | Publicly owned treatment works |
| Issued | January 1, 2019 |
| Expiration date | May 31, 2021 |
| Issuing agency | STA |
| Address | Duluth, MN 55806 |
| Receiving water impaired | 303(D) Listed |
| Subwatershed | Saint Louis River (HUC 040102011604) |
Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES permit file (ECHO download).
Effluent limits and exceedances
- 32Pollutants on file
- 32Under a numeric limit
- 23With a violation of any kind
- 7With an effluent exceedance
An effluent exceedance is a discharge monitoring report value over the permit’s numeric limit (EPA’s violation code E90). A violation of any kind also counts a report not filed. Each row is EPA’s own count for that pollutant.
| Pollutant or measure | Limits | Violations, any kind | Effluent exceedances | Latest exceedance | Largest exceedance, as filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury, total [as Hg] | 5 | 75 | 70 | October 31, 2025 | 111% over the limit |
| Solids, total suspended | 8 | 12 | 4 | April 30, 2023 | 11% over the limit |
| Polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs] | 5 | 6 | 2 | March 31, 2026 | 331,752% over the limit |
| 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin | 5 | 2 | 2 | March 31, 2026 | 2,147,483,650% over the limit |
| BOD, carb-5 day, 20 deg C, percent removal | 1 | 2 | 1 | April 30, 2023 | 7% over the limit |
| Solids, suspended percent removal | 1 | 2 | 1 | April 30, 2014 | 7% over the limit |
| E. coli, MTEC-MF | 1 | 1 | 1 | April 30, 2023 | 183% over the limit |
| Flow, in conduit or thru treatment plant | 6 | 12 | 0 | ||
| BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] | 6 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Temperature, water deg. centigrade | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||
| pH | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Coliform, fecal MPN + membrane ftl 44.5 C | 4 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Phosphorus, total [as P] | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Nitrogen, total [as N] | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Nitrogen, Kjeldahl, total [as N] | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Nitrite + Nitrate total [as N] | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Mercury, dissolved [as Hg] | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Precipitation, total defined period/in | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Oxygen, dissolved [DO] | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Sulfate, total [as SO4] | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Chlorine, total residual | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Solids, total dissolved | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Halogens, adsorbable organic | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4,4'-DDT | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Chloride [as Cl] | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Copper, total [as Cu] | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Lead, total [as Pb] | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Chloroform | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Dieldrin | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Toxaphene | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Heptachlor | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES limits and effluent violations files (ECHO download); up to 60 rows shown, most exceedances first.
Inspections, violations and enforcement
- 2Single-event violations
| Date | What EPA recorded | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| August 9, 2023 | Effluent Violations - Unauthorized Discharge | ST6 |
| August 26, 2017 | Effluent Violations - Unauthorized Discharge | ST6 |
Velarion’s copy of EPA’s ICIS-NPDES files does not include the inspections, formal enforcement actions and informal enforcement actions files, so this page shows none of them. EPA’s free Detailed Facility Report on ECHO lists this permit’s inspections, enforcement actions and penalties.
Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES violation, inspection and enforcement files (ECHO download); up to 50 rows of each shown, newest first.
Watch this permit
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EPA publishes a free Detailed Facility Report for every permit on ECHO: its compliance status quarter by quarter, its inspections, and its enforcement actions and penalties. EPA also sends free notices of new inspections and enforcement actions through ECHO Notify; enter NPDES ID MN0049786 there.
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Figures from EPA’s ICIS-NPDES download, loaded September 14, 2026.