WOODBURY, MN (WNN) – We’ve seen a few questions recently on social media about Woodbury’s lawn watering restrictions, so we thought we’d offer an explanation of what they are and why they’re in place.
Lawn-Watering Restrictions Keep City Water Available To All
Intense lawn-watering citywide has strained the capacity of the municipal water system. Restrictions now in place prioritize water availability for household and business use as well as fire-fighting, while still keeping plants and lawns growing.
City regulations allow one weekday and one weekend day for each residence to water. The days are designated by zone, and homeowners can learn their designated day at this site.
The rules include:
Watering is not permitted between noon and 5 p.m. to reduce evaporation.
Automatic water systems must be set to coincide with zone and permitted hours.
Violators of the watering policy can be fined $50. Fines are doubled for subsequent violations.
Businesses and institutions such as schools and churches can water on Fridays but not between noon and 5 p.m.
Exemptions from the policy are granted to farms, large agricultural operations, sports fields and golf courses.
Residents with newly seeded or sodded lawns can apply to the city for a permit that allows for daily watering for two weeks.
Other outdoor activities including hand-watering of plants, car-washing, filling swimming pools and even water balloon fights are not limited.
Click here to view the zone map.
Why Restrict Use?
Woodbury’s municipal water comes from underground aquifers accessed by 20 wells. There is water available all winter for teeth-brushing, laundry, fighting fires, etc., but the increased demand for summer lawn watering strains the system beyond capacity.
The water pumped from the wells flows through 300 miles of water main and is stored in four water towers, one standpipe, and one ground storage reservoir.
The current water supply system generates an average of 6.9 million gallons per day with maximum demand exceeding 18 million gallons per day. Historic peak usage was recorded in the summers of 2006 and 2021 with citizens and their lawns using 23 million gallons of water daily.
Water from all the wells is treated with chlorine and fluoride to protect public health. Two wells require additional treatment because of high levels of iron and manganese.
Aquifers in the East Metro are contaminated by emerging contaminants (PFAS) that raise health concerns. Six wells in Woodbury identified with increased levels of PFAS are being treated to federal standards at a temporary treatment facility, while three more are being treated at the well sites. An algorithm is used to release treated water from the contaminated wells into the city water system only when demand for water increases.
Construction of the new Water Treatment Plant is designed to increase the supply of drinking water. It will produce 32 million gallons of water daily – all of which will be treated to remove chemicals of concern. This improvement requires two new wells, more than 17 miles of distribution pipeline, and lots of road detours.
