MnTAP Wastewater Optimization Opportunities

In this virtual webinar, presented live on January 7, 2026, GreenStep Cities & Tribal Nations hosted a 'Lakeside' Coffee Chat to learn about the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP), a no-cost, non-regulatory team that provides pollution prevention and process efficiency assistance to industrial manufacturers and municipalities throughout Minnesota. Learn the basics of wastewater treatment and the strategies these sites can use to save energy and reduce nutrient pollution and listen to some case studies from last summer highlighting water and fuel savings through the MnTAP intern program!

Summary: 

Jon Vanyo, Senior Engineer with the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program, provided an overview of wastewater optimization and MnTAP’s pollution prevention approach. He introduced MnTAP’s role in offering free, non-regulatory technical assistance to help Minnesota facilities improve efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and meet compliance goals.
 
Jon walked through the key stages of wastewater treatment including screening, clarification, aeration, and disinfection. He highlighted how biological processes and microbial management are essential to effective treatment and shares strategies for reducing energy consumption, including optimizing aeration systems and using variable frequency drives to better match oxygen supply with microbial needs. The session also covered nutrient removal techniques, comparing chemical treatment methods with biological nutrient removal (BNR), which uses specialized microbes under controlled conditions to remove nitrogen and phosphorus more efficiently.
 
Finally, Jon highlighted MnTAP’s intern program, which places students in real-world projects across industries and municipalities. He shared examples of successful intern-led projects that achieved significant water and energy savings, and emphasized the importance of collaboration between communities, businesses, and MnTAP to advance pollution prevention and resource efficiency.

View the workshop recording: 

View the slides and additional materials:

Additional resources

• MnTAP website
• Focus Area: Water Stewardship
• Intern Program - Full-time junior or senior college students with strong technical backgrounds and leadership abilities work on waste and energy reduction projects at companies across Minnesota.
• Minnesota Rural Water Association - A non-profit association staffed with full-time personnel trained to offer professional on-site technical assistance and training to water and wastewater system personnel in managerial, financial, and operation and maintenance of systems, as well as source water protection.
• American Water Works Association - AWWA is the largest nonprofit, scientific and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water, the world’s most important resource. AWWA provides solutions to improve public health, protect the environment, strengthen the economy and enhance our quality of life.

Connection to GreenStep Best Practice Actions: 

💧2.4. Describe energy/water efficiency outcomes and other green building practices at businesses and not-for-profit organizations located within/nearby the city.
💧20.2. Plan and budget for motor maintenance and upgrades to assure the most energy efficient, durable and appropriate equipment is available when upgrades or breakdowns occur.
💧20.4. Optimize energy and chemical use at drinking water/wastewater facilities and decrease chloride in wastewater discharges.
💧20.6. Implement a wastewater plant efficiency project (co-generation, water reuse) or a program for local private business operations (water conservation, water reuse, business co-location).

💧21.7. Arrange for assistance to commercial, retail and industrial businesses with water use reduction, pollution prevention and pretreatment prior to discharge to septics.

💧25.2. Create or participate in a marketing/outreach program to connect businesses with assistance providers, including utilities, who provide personalized energy, waste or sustainability audits and assistance.

💧25.4. Strengthen value-added businesses utilizing local "waste" material.

💧28.2. Document that at least one business/building uses waste heat or water discharge from another business or conducts materials exchange activities with another organization.

Find additional news and opportunities, including more webinars! You do not need to be a GreenStep community to access or attend.

 Visit the GreenStep Cities and Tribal Nations program website at www.mngreenstep.org.