A number of updates and announcements have been made recently, including some from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) regarding the draft PFAS Monitoring Plan and the 2022 Ag-Urban Partnership Forum on Water Quality. The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) announced the approval if $12.7 million in Clean Water Fund Grants as […]
Archive for the ‘City of Anoka’ Category

Public Hearing – Lower Rum River Watershed Management Plan


The Lower Rum River Watershed Management Organization (LRRWMO) Board of Managers will host a public hearing on the draft LRRWMO 2022-2031 Watershed Management Plan on Thursday, September 16, 2021 as part of the Board of Managers meeting. The hearing will start at 8:15 am, or shortly thereafter, at Anoka City Hall (2015 First Avenue, Anoka). […]

Well Sealing Cost-Share Opportunity


If you have an old well that you no longer use, you may be eligible for cost-share funding to seal it! Unused/unsealed wells could be direct conduits for pollution to reach our drinking water supply, so it is important to have them sealed by a professional. To qualify for up to 60% cost-share, unused/unsealed wells […]
Lower Rum River WMO Plan Update – Resident Survey Open


If you live in Ramsey, Anoka, or the North/West part of Andover (see map below), you live in the Lower Rum River Watershed. The Lower Rum River Watershed Management Organization (WMO) is starting the update to their Water Management Plan and they want to hear from you! Take a few minutes to thoughtfully answer a […]
Community water quality reports are available


Annual Water Report. Each year, community water suppliers prepare a report on the results of water quality tests of their water system in the previous year. The 2017 water quality reports summarize testing results for Jan 1 to December 31. The reports describe where the drinking water comes from and what’s in it. Groundwater, from wells, is […]
Sprinkling restrictions are in effect


The average person uses 80 to 100 (90) gallons of water per day (USGS data). For Anoka County that adds up to 30.8 million gallons a day or over 11 billion gallons per year. The trick is to use water wisely so that our combined water demand doesn’t exceed our local water resources supply. During the summer months […]

Safe drinking water through wellhead protection


Anoka County residents get their drinking water from either public (municipal) supply wells or private (home) wells. The exception is Columbia Heights and Hilltop communities that get their drinking water from the Mississippi River, supplied by the Minneapolis Water Works. Municipal public water suppliers in Anoka County have established a unique partnership to protect the source […]

Drinking water safety of public and private (home wells) supplies


Several articles recently appeared in Twin Cities newspapers, television and websites regarding the safety of drinking water. Reports of waste disposal polluting groundwater and well water has called attention to the safety of drinking water in the metropolitan area (What did 3M know about PFCs, StarTribune, 11/26/2017; 3M Pollution raised cancer rates, Pioneer Press, 11/20/2017; and Drinking […]
Plans for a better future for the Rum River


A pair of water quality studies are good news, bad news for the Rum River watershed that starts at Lake Mille Lacs and flows through Anoka County where it meets the Mississippi River in the City of Anoka. While most of river is in good shape, some waters are in trouble. Six streams have high bacteria […]