Woodbury Studying Water Supply, Rates, Infrastructure Needs

Woodbury is in the midst of long-range planning regarding its water supply, infrastructure and rates.

The City Council last week examined future replacement costs for pipes, wells, hydrants, etc., and will tackle conservation at a November workshop, with a rate-structure analysis to follow.

State officials have identified east metro aquifers as “threatened,” and have asked cities to monitor usage, said Klayton Eckles, city engineer for Woodbury.

“We’re thinking 20-plus years out,” he said. “There’s no immediate issue with the city’s water supply and I’m not certain that there ever will be.”

Part of the issue lies with 3M’s cleanup of chemicals found in the soil at a former dump site along the Woodbury-Cottage Grove border. The company pumps several million gallons of water a day at the site, further taxing the aquifer.

City staff has looked at contingency plans should Woodbury ever run into water-supply problems, and is in talks with St. Paul about getting water from that city if the need arises in the future.

“There’s no crisis,” Eckles said. “We’re just trying to be prudent.”

At the November council workshop, Woodbury will look at ways to reduce consumption, though changing usage patterns through increased rates would likely require a big bump, Eckles said.

Instead, the city will consider other initiatives to spur less water usage, possibly programs to encourage people to retrofit their homes with water-saving faucets, for example.

Less lawn watering would also help, Eckles said. Find more information about conservation efforts on the city’s website.

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