JUNE 2017
Cottage Grove Reports Message from Mayor Bailey
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Credit Cards Now Accepted at City Hall Primrose School Groundbreaking Historic Preservationist of the Year Wag for Water Fundraiser Upcoming Events Road Construction Central Fire Station Groundbreaking Inclusive Playground Groundbreaking River Oaks Golf Course Safety Camp Youth Tennis Lessons Ice Skating Lessons Sunrise/Sunset June Photo Contest
Fourth of July Celebration The annual Fourth of July celebration will take at Kingston Park, 9195 75th Street S. There will be a cookout with fun and games for all followed by a thrilling patriotic fireworks display. The family–friendly event begins at 6:30 p.m. with the sale of brats, hotdogs, chips, candy and soda pop. Sponsored by the Cottage Grove Lions Club.
WATERING BAN IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE On May 23, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) issued new healthbased limits on the levels of chemicals allowed in the water, which affect east metro communities, including Cottage Grove.
number 10 interim treatment facility, located off of 95th Street, has already begun with grading and concrete work underway. We expect to be able to bring well number 10 back online sometime in July, which may help ease some of the outdoor watering restrictions. Installing a filtration system like this typically takes a year, and we are working to have it done in only months. We will When we learned that eight out of our 11 city continue to work on a long-term solution to wells would not meet the new health-based ensure the water you drink meets the values values, we acted fast to make sure the water set by MDH. every resident drinks is safe and would be in As your Mayor, I take the health and safety of compliance with the state’s new health all citizens of Cottage Grove seriously. When guidelines. you turn on your faucet, you expect safe To be compliant with the newly lowered water. I expect safe water, too. After all, I live values, we took five wells offline and began here as do many members of my family. We blending water from three wells affected by all rely on City water. the new limits with other wells. By doing this Right now we need to work together and the water provided to you meets the new MDH values. However, it means we have less conserve our water as much as possible until we get the new carbon filtration systems water available for everyone to use. installed. Currently we are only operating three wells at full capacity, and another three at limited Please follow the watering ban and do not capacity. The City’s water capacity is roughly water lawns, landscaping, gardens, wash cars half of what is normally available to supply or fill swimming pools. Please make sure your everyone in the city. irrigation system is turned off. That is why we put the watering ban in place. There simply would not be enough water for everyone to use for drinking, cleaning and cooking, without the outdoor water usage ban. If we all work together and limit our outdoor water use, there will be enough for all of us during this period. Please note, if you have a private well, this watering ban does not apply to you.
The City Council declared the watering ban at an emergency City Council meeting on May 23, and it will remain in effect until further notice. You can find more information at
www.cottage-grove.org/water-ban including answers to many of your frequently asked questions. If you don’t find the answer to your question there, please call our Public We are working hard on restoring the capacity Works department at 651-458-2808. needed. To get our wells back online, we need If you have health-related questions, please to install filtration systems, which is not a contact the Minnesota Department of Health simple task. It involves the installation of at 651-201-4993 or www.health.state.mn.us multiple carbon filtration tanks, piping installation, electrical work, and a building to Thank you for your patience and support. house the new tanks. Work on the well Mayor Myron Bailey
CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE | 12800 RAVINE PARKWAY S | COTTAGE GROVE, MN 55016 | 651-458-2800