Come for the views, stay for the lessons on water management at rare St. Paul water tower opening
The historic Highland Water Tower in St. Paul offers one of the best views of fall foliage in the Twin Cities.
It’s also a chance to get answers to all your burning questions about water management: Like do you have lead in your service line? Where does water go? How do water towers work?
“We really want to take the opportunity to be able to interact with our customers,” said Jodi Wallin, marketing and public relations manager for St. Paul Regional Water Services.
The public water utility treats and pumps water for the city of Saint Paul and surrounding suburbs. It opens the historical landmark to the public twice a year to give people a look inside and for educational purposes. Opened in 1928, the water tower held 200,000 gallons of water and was operational until 2017.
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So how do water tanks actually work? Wallin explained underground pipes called water mains come up the center to fill the tank, powered by electricity.
On the tower’s lower level, staff displayed pipes used over time across the city, as well as water samples before and after treatment.
Wallin said while much of their water is renewable, St. Paul water services encourages water conservation. 80 percent of St. Paul water comes from the Mississippi River; 20 percent is from the Vadnais Lakes watershed. Wastewater is treated by the Metropolitan Council and put back into the river.
She said the public utility has reduced its water usage by an average of 8 million gallons a day in the last twenty years, in part due to the closure of the Ford plant and installment of things like low flow toilets, faucets, and showerheads throughout the area.
The Highland Water Tower is open this weekend, Oct. 14-15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s located at Snelling Avenue and Ford Parkway in St. Paul.
It is typically open the third week of July and second weekend of October.