City of Edina Home Page
Edina, Minnesota

Utilities

Rule
Roger Glanzer, Assistant Public Works Director

Roger Glanzer
Assistant
Public Works Director

What drives the City Utility Department? The short answer is: To make sure you have clean, safe water and that what goes down the drain, stays down the drain. The long answer is much more detailed, so think of this as “Utility 101.”

City of Edina Utility Department has three main components:

  • Pump, treat, and distribute drinking water.

  • Sanitary sewer collection.

  • Storm water collection.

The City of Edina operates two separate water systems: The Morningside water system and the Edina water system. The Morningside system is supplied with treated surface water from the City of Minneapolis which utilizes Ultrafiltration, lime softening and multiple chemical treatments. While the water is from Minneapolis, Edina’s Utility Department maintains the system’s piping. The Edina system gets its water from 18 groundwater wells, ranging from approximately 450 to 1,100 feet deep. All well water is treated with fluoride (for public health and wellness), chlorine (disinfectant) and polyphosphates (pipe corrosion inhibitor). Further, eight of the wells are pumped to one of four Water Treatment Plants (WTP) for additional removal of iron and manganese, naturally occurring minerals common to groundwater. Once the water has been treated, it is distributed through a system of 200 miles of water main, four water towers and a ground reservoir to supply homes and businesses with clean, safe drinking water.

 Sewer collection and flow is based on gravity. It is designed to “run downhill.” In areas where there is a variety of elevation changes, Lift Stations are installed to gather flows, and then pump (lift) the sewage through a pressurized force main to a higher point where it can be discharged and gravity again takes over.  At the most basic level, the City simply collects and pumps sewage to a neighboring community where it eventually goes to a wastewater treatment facility operated by the Metro Council Environmental Service (MCES).

Storm water collects and flows on this same gravitational basis. During and after a rain or melt event, it is crucial that water is removed quickly from roadways so it doesn’t create a public safety issue. However, instead of being sent to a treatment plant, it is routed to our creeks, ponds, lakes and wetlands. These highly visible areas serve as natural treatment facilities for our storm water, create wildlife habitat and add to the aesthetics of our neighborhoods. Hence, maintaining the quality and health of these areas is also considered in the management of The City’s storm water program.

All members of the Utility Department are certified and licensed by both the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and vary individually in experience from 10 to 40 years working in the water/wastewater field.