The Post-Bulletin newspaper in Rochester, Minn., reported on a study by the Minnesota 2020 nonpartisan think tank showing that wastewater treatment plants across the state are aging and collectively represent a potential threat to public health and quality of life.
The story quoted Jeremy Dennison, a graduate research fellow with MN2020, as saying, “One quarter of all sewer systems in Minnesota are 30 to 50 years old. Another one-third are over 50 years old.”
Dennison, author of the group’s report, “Wasting Away: Upgrading Minnesota’s Aging Wastewater Infrastructure,” said the average lifespan of a treatment plant is about 40 years. Joe Sheeran, MN2020
