Politics & Government
New Signs, Awareness for Northfield's Drinking Water Supply
The City of Northfield is putting up new signs on streets that cross into the city's updated Drinking Water Supply Management Area.
New signs are alerting Northfield residents of the footprint where runoff and spills alter their drinking water.
A number of “Drinking Water Supply Management Area” signs already have been installed on streets that cross into the state-designated area.
Additional signs will be put up this week, ahead of a public information meeting about changes in the city’s wellhead protection area planned for Monday, May 21, said City Water Superintendent Doug Lien.
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“Our wells primarily are in the southeast corner of the city, near and the Sibley soccer fields,” Lien said. “There’s been a circle drawn out from there, and that’s where the signs are, or will be soon.”
DWSMA is defined on Northfield’s Wellhead Protection Area webpage as the area “from where rain water and spills may reach the city drinking water wells within 10 years.”
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The wellhead projection area is defined as an “extension of the DWSMA to property boundaries and street centerlines where land use restrictions protect the city's drinking water.”
State law requires cities to update their wellhead protection plans every 10 years to factor in changes in land use, population and draw on city wells.
Northfield’s first wellhead protection plan expired in 2011, so it needed updating this year.
“The state changed the area a little where we needed to manage,” Lien said.
Because aquifers are vulnerable to contaminants that seep into the ground, Lien said it is vital for residents to be cautious of spills within the DWSMA. In case there are spills—he gave the example of a tractor-trailer overturning its load—they must be dealt with quickly and completely before damage to groundwater can be done.
Monday’s public hearing, set for 7 p.m. at , will feature discussion about changes in the wellhead protection area, as well as an updated wellhead protection area map.
Links to the updated wellhead protection plan and wellhead protection area map will be made available on the city website later.
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