Crews are continuing to look for the last of the leak in the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System pipeline in Worthington, Minn. According to The Globe, it is still unknown when the city will begin to receive the much-anticipated water.
WPU General Manager Scott Hain said there is a leak in a 24-inch pipe that crews have not yet been able to locate during a meeting of the Worthington Public Utilities Water & Light Commission. According to The Globe, the 240-in. Line begins at the Adrian meter building and continues for about five miles east of Adrian.
“As far as I know, they’ve repaired all of the other leaks,” Hain said to The Globe.
Increasing to 5 million gal of water usage per day is unrealistic when the city’s municipal wastewater treatment plant can handle a maximum of four million gal of water per day, according to The Globe. Hain said the municipal plant does not treat water from JBS, as that water is discharged to the industrial wastewater treatment plant.
This update was followed by a discussion on WPU’s philosophy on economic development and water usage once Lewis & Clark water begins to flow into the city. According to The Globe, the connection will deliver 1.9 million gal of water per day, which will be blended 50-50 with water that comes from the city’s seven wells at Lake Bella.
According to Hain, the city’s economic development officials had been trained for years to ask prospective businesses what their water needs would be.
“Sometimes, that prevented a business from locating here,” Hain said to The Globe. “Our community has really developed a water conservation culture over the years, and I really hope that doesn’t go away.”
Public utilities have no contracts with customers that guarantee a specific amount of water, Hain said. The utility has imposed varying levels of water restrictions on users when necessary.
“If you’ve got another million gallons of water per day, are you interested in 1 million gallons of water to one customer, or 100,000 gallons of water to 10 customers?” Hain asked the commission, according to The Globe.
Gary Hoffman, chairman of the commission, said he keeps thinking about Palm Desert in California. According to The Globe, this is where an aquifer that seems to have an endless supply of water has the potential to dry up.
According to The Globe, expansions of both the municipal and industrial wastewater plants will be likely in the future.