Circle Pines has been busy protecting its drinking water from pollution. The City is providing cost-share grants to residents and landowners within the Circle Pines Drinking Water Supply Management Area (DWSMA) to seal old unused wells  (near City wells) preventing pollution from contaminating the City’s drinking water supply. Minnesota law requires the owner of an unused well to have it sealed by a licensed contractor, or obtain an annual permit (Minnesota Statute 103I.301). Circle Pines is making it easier and less costly to seal wells. View the video “Sealing Your Unused Well” (YouTube, 4:36).

Cost-Share Grants Awarded. Circle Pines has awarded cost-share grants to 34 residents that have sealed wells at properties on Center Road (5 wells), Circle Drive (6), Crossway Drive (1), East Road (6), Inner Drive (1), North Drive (1), Park Drive (5), and Pine Drive (9). Residents recieved half the cost of sealing their abandoned well (up to $500 grant). By sealing old unused wells, residents are protecting groundwater and the community’s drinking water supply.

Cost-share grants available for a limited time. The cities of Blaine, Circle Pines, Lexington and Lino Lakes have established a Well Sealing Cost Share Grant program for residents to have old wells sealed inside their DWSMAs. The grant is available to residents in 2015. Contact your city Wellhead Protection Manager to obtain a well sealing cost-share grant application:

• Blaine: 763-785-6188 (Jim Hafner) jhafner@ci.blaine.mn.us
• Circle Pines: 763-231-2611 (Chandra Peterson) cpeterson@ci.circle-pines.mn.us
• Lexington: 763-354-2805 (Tina Northcutt) tnlexington@comcast.net
• Lino Lakes: 651-982-2435 (Marty Asleson) marty.asleson@ci.lino-lakes.mn.us

See the Directory of Area Water Well Contractors to obtain bids to seal abandoned wells. For more information on well sealing go to the MDH Well Sealing webpage.

Disclosing wells during a sale or property transfer. When a home, farm, or other property is sold or transferred Minnesota Statutes, section 103I.235 requires the seller to disclose the number and the status of all wells on the property and provide a sketch map showing the location of each well. Often unused wells are sealed at that time. However a cost-share grant may not be available.

Is your property in a Drinking Water Supply Management Area? Go to the DWSMA Map to see if your property is close enough to a municipal drinking water supply well to be included in the City’s Drinking Water Supply Management Area.