Recap of Minnesota AWWA 100th Annual Conference

The 100th Annual Minnesota AWWA Conference took place Sept. 20-23 at the Duluth Entertainment & Convention Center. Governor Mark Dayton declared September 22nd to be Minnesota Water Works Day.

The conference began with a day of charitable events (clay shooting, golfing, fishing) to raise funds for Water For People. Overall, 2016 MN AWWA events have raised $35,335 for Water For People and the Education Endowment. At the Convention alone, there was a record number of participants:

• 75 fishermen on 13 boats
• 50 clay shooters
• 104 golfers

Keynote speakers over the weekend included David LaFrance, CEO of the American Water Works Association, and Steve Maxwell, author of The Future of Water.

We are proud to announce that the City of St. Cloud was the 2016 Best In Glass taste test award winner for best tasting water in the state. St. Cloud’s drinking water also was selected as the 2016 People’s Choice at the Minnesota State Fair. The City of St. Cloud’s award winning water will represent Minnesota at the American Water Works Association national conference next June in Philadelphia.

New Section Positions

• Pete Moulton, the Director of Public Water Works for the City of St. Peter, was elected to the position of Section Director

• David Brown from the Metropolitan Council was elected as the Section Chair

Award Winners

• Carol Blommel Johnson - George Warren Fuller Award
• This award is presented annually by the American Water Works Association to the sections' respective selected members for their distinguished service to the water supply field in commemoration of the sound engineering skill, the brilliant diplomatic talent, and the constructive leadership which characterized the life of George Warren Fuller.

• Myron Volker - Leonard N. Thompson Award
• This award is presented annually to one member for their distinguished service to the water supply field in commemoration of Leonard N. Thompson, past General Manager of the St. Paul Water Utility for nearly 34 years.

• Uma Vempati - Andrew Sullivan Outstanding Leadership Award
• This award is presented to an individual or group for exceptional service that demonstrates initiative and dedication to the drinking water profession.

• Scott Fronek - Jon Eaton Excellence in Volunteering Award
• This award is to recognize and honor an individual AWWA member who has advanced AWWA through his/her volunteer time and efforts and has been a support to AWWA staff.

Thanks to all who participated and volunteered to make the first 100 years of Minnesota AWWA a success. Raise a glass of #drinktapwater in confident optimism that the next 100 years will be even better!

Preventing Frozen Pipes

Can you believe winter is here already? Whether or not we’re ready for the bitter cold and mounds of snow, the next season has arrived with a bang! Besides breaking out your winter jacket, snow shovel and ice scraper, there is one way you need to prepare your home.

If not properly winterized, pipes in the winter can be very damaging to your home and property. Minnesota homes are typically built with water pipes located on the inside of the building insulation, which protects the pipes from freezing weather. However, when weather becomes extremely cold or there are holes in the building that allow a flow of cold air to come into contact with pipes, it can lead to freezing – which may lead to busted pipes. Pipes in attics, crawl spaces and outside walls are the most vulnerable to freezing.

 

 

The first thing you should always remember to do is to wrap any pipes located in exposed or unheated areas to prevent them from freezing. Ask an associate at a local hardware store for the best materials to use.

Another way to prepare your home and protect your pipes is to seal off any openings. Be sure to cover up any doors, open cracks and air vents not used during the winter months. You can also install an electric fan on the furnace and direct it to blow hot air onto exposed basement water pipes.

Finally, always be mindful of your home’s temperature. This is especially important if you leave for a vacation. Turning thermostat down may save on a heating bill but be sure to leave it a reasonable temperature. We recommend no lower than 55 degrees.

 

If you suspect that you may have a frozen pipe, don’t take any chances- call a plumber immediately. If a water pipe bursts, turn off the water at the main shut-off valve and leave all faucets open. We highly recommend you do not try and fix this issue yourself for it may only cause more problems in the end.

Do you have any other winter tips for keeping your pipes in tip-top shape? Comment and share them below!

Minnesota's Most Established Water Systems

Major cities began developing around major water systems before today’s easy methods of transportation were ever even invented. Water systems provided a trade route, mode of travel, and provided small cities and farms with an abundance of fresh water for agricultural usage and consumption. Humans never strayed too far from fresh water sources, because it was integral to their survival. Here’s a look at five of the most established water systems in Minnesota.

Minneapolis, MN

Established as the Minneapolis Water Treatment & Distribution Services in 1867, it wasn’t until 1872 when the city of Minneapolis utilized the Mississippi as a primary resource outside of providing water to firefighters. It is currently the largest water system in the upper Midwest.

Quick Facts:
· The average annual withdrawal is 21 billion gallons.
· The Minneapolis Water Treatment & Distribution Services averages 57 million gallons per day.
· Filtration, disinfection and sedimentation are all processes undergone to purify drinking water.
· It’s one of few cities to soften water at a centralized softening plant-removing 65k pounds of hardness a day.
· The network of water mains responsible for providing tap water approximates at 1,000 miles.

St. Paul, MN

Water distributed through a system consisting of 1.1k miles of water mains provides fresh tap water to the City of St. Paul and surrounding communities. Due to the topography of the city, nicknamed ‘The City of Seven Hills’, water in the distribution requires to be pumped twice to maintain sufficient pressure to high-lying areas.

Quick Facts:
· The original piping was made out of lead, which have since been converted to copper pipes.
· ‘Reduced pressure’ service areas require pressure-reducing valves to reduce dangerously high pressures cause by downhill flow.

St. Cloud, MN

The St. Cloud Water Treatment Facility was established in 1907, when nineteen wells were sunk in Hester Park using a pump house and filtration plant to provide for the City Water Works. Proving to supply an inadequate service, the wells were capped. In 1954, the city constructed a new water works system by refurbishing the previous building, which was expanded and completed in 1994.

Mississippi River, St. Cloud, MN

Quick Facts:
· The expansion in 1994 increased water treatment from nine to 16 million gallons per day.
· A well that sunk in 1907 flowed until the early 1990’s until it was capped.


Duluth, MN

Lake Superior serves as the primary source of drinking water via the City Water Treatment Plant. The Plant sends the water through a filter, disinfects it with chlorine, which is then pumped to reservoirs throughout the city. The Public Works and Utilities Department was formed out of a 1999 merger, designed to increase operational efficiency while decreasing overall costs.

Quick Facts:
· The Department is responsible for water, natural gas, sanitary sewage and storm water services; infrastructure is also a responsibility.


Rochester, MN

Candice and Hemlock lakes have supplied the town with drinking water since 1876. Lake Ontario water is purchased from the Monroe County Water Authority (MCWA) as a supply supplement, where it is treated at MCWA’s Shoremont Treatment Plant. Both Hemlock and Shoremont treatment plants use similar processes including coagulation, filtration, and disinfection. 

Hemlock Lake, Rochester, MN

Quick Facts:
· Three 100-year-old pipelines provide the city with water treated from the Hemlock Filtration Plant via gravity.