Cold Spring Building $6-Million Water Treatment Plant

COLD SPRING -- Construction is underway on a new water treatment facility in Cold Spring.

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Cold Spring Public Works Director Jon Stueve says the facility was needed due to the high levels of nitrate in the water the city has been dealing with for several years.

Our nitrate levels in town were creeping up above the MCL of 10, which the Minnesota Department of Health sets. A couple of our wells were upwards of 13 and we were able to blend that with some of our lower wells before the distribution system to get them below 10. But will our history it just keeps creeping up.

Stueve says not only will this facility help regulate the nitrate levels, but do it in a more eco-friendly manner.

There are different forms of treatment for nitrate removal. The most popular in Minnesota is Ion Exchanger, but with that they create a salty discharge to our wastewater plant. So we decided to look into biological nitrate removal, which has less chemical cost and a safer discharge to the wastewater plant.

Stueve says this facility will be the first of its kind in Minnesota and fourth in the country.

Construction on the 4,800 square-foot facility will cost about $6-million, with roughly $4-million coming from state bonding money the city received back in 2018.

Stueve says if all goes well they hope to have the water treatment facility operational by the end of 2022.