Board approves five-year wastewater discharge permit for Kwik Trip Kitchens

The Board of Public Works on Jan. 20 approved a five-year industrial pretreatment discharge permit for Kwik Trip Kitchens that establishes a fixed quarterly surcharge to account for higher wastewater loadings, the board was told.

Jared, a utilities staff member working with the city’s industrial pretreatment program, told the board that Kwik Trip Kitchens — the facility that processes take-home meals, pizzas and many of the sandwiches sold in Kwik Trip stores — has shown increased flow and higher loadings of VOD, TSS, ammonia and phosphorus. "Kwik Trip Kitchens is where they process all the take home meals, pizzas," Jared said, explaining why the facility meets the criteria for an industrial permit.

Staff said the samples and flow data they collect inform surcharge rates, but the sampling location for Kwik Trip Kitchens is in very deep manholes ("20 to 25 feet down into the ground"), which complicates regular sampling. Because of sampling difficulty and consistent elevated flows, staff and the city’s rate consultant negotiated a fixed quarterly surcharge for the facility based on a year to 18 months of historical data. Jared said the city and Kwik Trip agreed to the approach and that staff may revisit the fixed charge a couple of times a year if more data suggest adjustment is warranted.

Director Gallagher moved approval of the discharge permit; Council President Dickinson seconded. The motion passed unanimously. According to staff, the permit package will be provided to Kwik Trip Kitchens after the board’s approval and the city retains authority to reopen or amend the permit if conditions change.

The decision formalizes how the city will recover treatment costs related to the facility’s higher loadings; staff flagged a process to re-evaluate the fixed charge periodically but did not specify a fixed schedule beyond several times a year as needed.