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Executive Board of Directors
Section Chair
Kathryn Jones HDR, Inc. kathryn.jones@hdrinc.com
Section Chair-Elect
Scott Anderson City of Bloomington smanderson@bloomingtonmn.gov
Section Past Chair
Doug Klamerus CDM Smith
Ph: 651-252-3709 klamerusde@cdmsmith.com
AWWA Director
Tony Belden
Tony Belden Co., LLC Ph: 612-868-1097 tony@tonybeldenco.com
Section Secretary
Allison Wheeler Arcadis allison.wheeler@arcadis.com
Section Treasurer
Eric Volk
City of New Brighton
Ph: 651-755-0689 eric.volk@newbrightonmn.gov
Disclaimer The ideas, opinions, concepts, procedures, etc. expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors and not necessarily those of the MNAWWA section, its officers, general membership, or the editor. The mention of trade names for commercial products does not represent or imply the approval or endorsement of AWWA. This magazine is presented solely for informational purposes
Magazine is published by
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Managing Editor - Julia Waterer
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Content Manager
Mona Cavalcoli mona@mnawwa.org
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Message from the Chair
Volunteerism Brings Vitality
Spring! The perfect opportunity for Minnesotans to get outside and stretch ourselves as the world is opening up again. This season is also the perfect time for individuals and communities to come together through volunteering, fostering a spirit of unity and collective growth. And like the saying, “April showers bring May flowers,” I like to think that “volunteerism brings vitality” to organizations like ours.
Springtime and the Spirit of Volunteerism
Spring brings a sense of renewal that is not confined to the natural world. The budding growth we see outside can inspire a sense of personal renewal as well. It is a time when many of us – me included –feel a surge of energy and motivation to embark on new projects, and set fresh goals.
I’ve found that volunteering is a great way to channel my energy into meaningful actions that can make a real difference. When we volunteer, we give our time, skills, and resources to help others, but we also receive valuable rewards in return, like feeling a sense of accomplishment or connecting with people in new ways. Minnesota Section AWWA is an organization that not only thrives, but depends on, volunteer participation. We have six Councils and more than 18 active committees that actively work across six Districts (the entire state!) to move us forward on our mission and goals. Volunteers make that happen.
Easy Opportunities to Take That First Step
We are always looking for volunteers to bring new ideas and fresh energy to the Section. And there are many ways to participate with MN AWWA at a variety of commitment levels. We know that people’s time is valuable and it’s sometimes hard to make time for things outside our normal jobs. So, we have identified several areas – especially at the Annual Conference in Duluth – where individuals can help, even if
Kabby Jones
it’s just for a couple of hours. These are great opportunities to pitch in and you’ll expand your network and connect with other water professionals at the same time! Here are a few ‘EZ Opportunities’ for you if you are interested in taking a step forward and getting involved:
• EZ Opportunity 1: Help hand out badges at the Conference in Duluth: our registration desk ALWAYS needs extra hands – and there’s no better way to meet people!
• EZ Opportunity 2: Help set up and clean up the competition areas during the Conference in Duluth: Pipe Tapping, Meter Challenge, and Hydrant Hysteria take a lot of work to set up – and we need extra hands to help clear & clean the competition area.
• EZ Opportunity 3: Are you good with technology and apps? We need ‘tech support’ at our Conference to help attendees make the most of our event app.
• EZ Opportunity 4: Take pictures at the Conference and other education, training, and networking events and post them to a shared drive: we are always trying to have up to date images our members and events to reflect who we are.
• EZ Opportunity 5: Write a short article for our Breeze Magazine: you don’t need to be a writer! We’ll help you, but we are ALWAYS seeking more educational content for the magazine.
If you are interested in becoming more involved with MN AWWA, please reach out to me or another Section member. We can help you find the right fit for your volunteer energies. From my own experience, I know that being an MN AWWA Section member helped me build connections with others, develop leadership skills, and give back to an organization that’s supported my career.
Volunteering fosters a sense of belonging and community, reminding us that our actions, no matter how small, can have a significant impact. Be inspired by the longer days and fresh energy of spring to reach up and branch out! •
Message from the Director
Aligning with AWWA’s Vision and Strategic Goals
Our section will be updating our state strategic plan to ensure alignment and support of the AWWA Organizational vision and plan. In Minnesota, we are forming a team of volunteers, including some members of the executive team, led by our chair, Kathryn Jones (Kabby), to develop this strategic plan. The goal is to provide a review of this plan to the entire MN AWWA Board by the end of this year, with a focus on vision, action items, and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) to begin in 2026 and beyond.
The following is the perspective shared with our Chair regarding the Organization’s vision and strategic plans, which encompass a broad 2050 vision, a more immediate 2030 vision, and a ‘now’ 2025 plan:
The AWWA Organization 2050 Vision
“A secure, sustainable, affordable, resilient, and innovative water future for all, in which everyone in the water community is collectively responsible for the management and preservation of this vital resource.”
AWWA’s 2030 Vision
The 2030 vision begins with the core vision, mission, and core principles of AWWA:
VISION
• A better world through better water.
MISSION
• Providing solutions to effectively manage water, the world’s most vital resource.
CORE PRINCIPLES
Protect Public Health and the Environment
• Strengthen Public Trust Advance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
• Inspire Innovation Engage Globally
• Shape Water’s Future
The 2030 Vision Strategic Goals
The 2030 Vision is comprised of four strategic goal areas:
• Member Experience
• Organizational Stewardship
• Knowledge Creation & Exchange
• Water Policy Leadership
Each of these goals encompasses several strategic objectives to be completed by 2030, all remarkably summarized on one page.
The Organization’s One Year 2025 Plan
Supports all the strategic objectives of the 2030 vision, has 33 actions, 51 evaluation metrics and five organizational key performance indicators.
Our task is to draft a state strategic plan that not only aligns with these overarching goals but also addresses the unique needs and challenges facing Minnesota. This plan will be instrumental in guiding our efforts to contribute to a sustainable and innovative water future, ensuring our actions today lay the groundwork for the achievements of tomorrow. •
“Our task is to draft a state strategic plan that not only aligns with these overarching goals but also addresses the unique needs and challenges facing Minnesota. This plan will be instrumental in guiding our efforts to contribute to a sustainable and innovative water future, ensuring our actions today lay the groundwork for the achievements of tomorrow.”
Tony Belden
Message from Section Staff
Let’s Find Some Great Caterpillars
Some of my friends and colleagues know that I have had several years of success in raising caterpillars into black and yellow swallowtail butterflies. Females lay eggs on dill, parsley and fennel plants, and so I purposely buy those herbs in hopes of attracting butterflies. I’ve been lucky enough to find tiny caterpillars in my garden, and as soon as I notice them, I quickly bring them into my sun porch so they can eat and grow and not be gobbled up by hungry birds. Once, while at the garden center buying more herbs for them to eat, I found a caterpillar on one of the dill plants and silently cheered, “Look! Free caterpillar!”
I become obsessed with watching the caterpillars grow and eat. They change from small black ‘threads,’ to little black worms with a small green stripe, until they become larger and plump and their bodies become bright green with thin black stripes. I have made haphazard containers for them using small terrariums, but finally invested in an actual butterfly habitat container, because I
discovered that when they get ready to make their chrysalis, they get really mobile! I had a caterpillar escape one of my home-made structures, and darned if I didn’t find him on my porch ceiling. Of course, I got up on a step ladder and picked him off the ceiling and put him back in the cage. He was probably pretty ticked as it took him hours to get up there.
Anyway. I guess I’m a full-fledged caterpillar nerd. But watching them transform is just fascinating. They find a safe spot to stop moving, and form into a J-shape as they prepare to go into their chrysalis. Depending on where they are, their chrysalis is either green or a grayish brown (they camouflage themselves). Then, about seven to twelve days later, their chrysalis darkens, and voila! A butterfly emerges. Most times, I’ve missed the moment of emergence. It happens so quickly. Only once have I fully witnessed the transformation. They come out wet, with folded wings crumpled and crinkled, and slowly expand and stretch their wings, opening and closing them to dry them so they can fly. It’s phenomenal to watch.
Why am I writing all this, you wonder? What in the world do caterpillars have to do with water? Nothing, per se, it’s just that it’s 2025.
Mona Cavalcoli
“I would like to focus energy on helping to coach and impart some of my knowledge and experience to new leaders and volunteers. It’s like I want to find some caterpillars and watch them grow so they can emerge differently and stretch their wings.”
And I realize that I’m pretty far along my career path. And while I have a lot to still give, I would like to focus energy on helping to coach and impart some of my knowledge and experience to new leaders and volunteers. It’s like I want to find some caterpillars and watch them
grow so they can emerge differently and stretch their wings. If you are an active volunteer and/or seeking to expand your involvement in the Section, you may find me reaching out to you to encourage your participation. I promise you won’t have to eat dill and parsley! •
AWWA Extends Support for Bipartisan Introduction of Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act
Source: awwa.org
The AWWA, as a member of the Water Coalition Against PFAS, supports today’s reintroduction of the Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act. This bipartisan legislation would provide statutory liability protections for water utilities under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), ensuring that polluters, not the public, pay for PFAS cleanup.
Last year, the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) formally designated two of the most common PFAS – perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) – as hazardous substances under CERCLA. This puts drinking water and wastewater utilities at risk of being forced to pay a portion of environmental cleanup costs after they legally dispose of water treatment byproducts or biosolids containing the contaminants – and allowing polluters to avoid their own responsibilities. The Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act would simply protect innocent water systems from CERCLA liability when they follow all applicable laws for disposing PFAS.
The Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act of 2025 is sponsored by Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) and Celeste Maloy (R-Utah) and is identical to bipartisan legislation
introduced in the 118th Congress by now-Senator John Curtis (R-Utah).
“The Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act will ensure that polluters are held responsible for cleaning up the PFAS they introduced into the environment, rather than water utilities and their ratepayers,” said AWWA CEO David LaFrance. “Introducing this legislation is an important first step toward protecting local communities from having to shoulder the significant financial burden of cleaning up PFAS contamination they did not cause. AWWA looks forward to working with Reps. Gluesenkamp Perez and Maloy to advance this bill, and we urge Congress to support it.”
Without this legislation, EPA’s designation of PFAS as hazardous substances under CERCLA would expose drinking water and wastewater utilities to litigation from the manufacturers of PFAS, who can unjustly include water systems as defendants in litigation to reduce their own clean-up costs. This legal loophole could increase costs on water utilities even further – costs that utilities are then forced to pass along to ratepayers. The Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act will protect water systems and their customers from the increased costs associated with litigation and potential settlements against PFAS manufacturers and users..
AWWA Board of Directors Selects Brent Tippey as Next President-Elect
The AWWA Board of Directors today selected Brent Tippey from Lexington, Kentucky, as the Association’s next president-elect.
The Board also selected AWWA’s four vice presidents and a Young Professional director-at-large during its annual winter meeting in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Tippey will begin his term as president-elect in June at the conclusion of AWWA’s ACE25. His term as president begins in June 2026 following that of current President-Elect Heather Collins.
Tippey is the Vice President – East Region Drinking Water Lead for HDR, a global professional services firm. An active member of the Kentucky-Tennessee Section since joining AWWA in 1999, Tippey serves on the AWWA Board of Directors, as well as the Executive Committee. He has served as Chair of AWWA’s Water Treatment Design and Construction Committee and as Chair and Trustee of the
Kentucky-Tennessee Section. He holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Kentucky.
The Board selected the following four vice presidents: John Eisnor, director of operations at Halifax Water in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He has been engaged in the Atlantic Canada Section since joining AWWA in 2000.
• Andrea Odegard-Begay, senior associate at Hazen and Sawyer in Goodyear, Arizona. She has been an active participant in the Arizona Section since joining AWWA in 2000.
Kevin Smith, project manager for Ramboll. He has been engaged in the Virginia Section since joining AWWA in 2011.
Andrea Song, utilities division manager for the City of Westminster, Colorado. She has been actively involved in the Rocky Mountain Section since joining AWWA in 1999.
The new officers will begin their terms in June at the conclusion of ACE25. •
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Elevate the Future of Water at ACE25
Denver, CO, USA | June 8–11, 2025
JOIN US for AWWA’s 2025 Annual Conference & Exposition (ACE25) and be part of the journey to ensure clean, safe water for all. This year’s conference will focus on innovative solutions, elevated standards, and collaborative efforts shaping the future of water.
Let’s come together to learn, connect, and inspire change. Don’t miss this opportunity to network with water professionals from around the globe and discover the latest advancements driving our industry forward.
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Naeem Qureshi – A Long-Standing Member with a Long Reach toward Education
Naeem Qureshi landed in Minneapolis with just $21 in his pocket, leaving family behind in Pakistan. For three years, he worked for a consulting firm, and then 10 years for Minneapolis Waterworks. In 1985, he completed a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota, and started a husband-and-wife firm that grew as a leading consultant in the water supply area. In 2017, he sold that firm and now works for Sambatek.
He is a life member of AWWA, and a recipient of the Leonard Thompson Award. He is a prolific author in the water supply arena, having published five articles in Journal AWWA , 12 in Opflow, two in Public Works Magazine, and eight in Minnesota Rural Water Today magazine. Naeem served the AWWA MN Section Education and Program committees and on the AWWA Coagulation and Filtration committee, having worked on the publication of ‘Operational Control of Coagulation and Filtration Processes’ and ‘Precoat Filtration’ AWWA Manuals.
Naeem believes in sharing his knowledge and expertise with other water professionals, and especially with younger members. He frequently presents papers at the AWWA Annual Conferences (nationally) and has presented over 100 papers at Regional Conferences. As many MN Section members can attest, Naeem is respected as a resource in his field, and is often called on to lend his knowledge on papers and projects.
Naeem has contributed generously to water legacy funds and to Water For People. But beyond that, Naeem has dedicated his personal and professional life to supported girls’ education in Pakistan. His passion and his deep commitment to education, as well as love of family, inspired him to build a school in Pakistan in memory of his late wife Nuzhat. The school provides quality education to 502 children, 52% girls and 48 % boys!
Naeem continues to be active with MN AWWA, serving as co-chair of the Section’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. He is also involved in promoting Water Supply jobs at College Fairs and is an active member of the University of Minnesota Research Foundation, raising funds for the foundation. •
School built in honor of Nuzhat Qureshi.
At Career Fair Columbia Heights High School.
ecognizing Drinking Water Week is an easy way to educate the public, connect with the community, and promote employee morale. Too often, water utilities only receive negative publicity – a main break in the middle of rush hour or increasing rates. Recognizing Drinking Water Week provides an opportunity for positive communication. AWWA has compiled a toolkit for utilities to use to
reach out to your employees, your customers, and your community.
Drinking Water Week is a perfect time to educate children about their water supply in a fun atmosphere.
Do not forget your employees! Drinking Water Week can help reaffirm to your employees the importance of what it is they do –provide clean, safe drinking water for the public. •
“Through
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AWWA Hosts Capitol Hill ‘Water 101’ Briefing for Congressional Staff
On January 3, the 119th U.S. Congress was sworn in – and the race for policymakers to advance legislation started anew. With that in mind, the AWWA partnered with other water associations to brief congressional staff and other stakeholders about federal statutes and regulations governing water systems.
The Feb. 18 Water 101 briefing was hosted by AWWA, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), the National Association of Water Companies (NAWC), the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), WateReuse Association (WateReuse), and the Water Environment Federation (WEF). Representatives from the water organizations shared their insights with new and returning congressional staff and stakeholders who may be working with water policy for the first time or from a different point of view.
Nate Norris, AWWA director of legislative affairs, moderated an expert panel discussion about the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), Clean Water Act, and water provisions in the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act. The briefing then moved into a question-and-answer dialogue between panelists and attendees.
Steve Via, AWWA director of federal relations, outlined key components of SDWA and criteria considered for rulemaking, such as best available science, affordability and benefit-cost evaluation. He also stressed the importance of being prudent when determining regulations.
“The regulatory process takes time and care because the resources communities expend to address potential risks are then not available to make necessary investments in maintaining and improving existing facilities and workforce,” he said. “That has very real public health implications.”
Other panelists included:
• Amanda Aspatore, chief legal counsel, NACWA
• Kristina Surfus, managing director, government affairs, NACWA
• Ted Stiger, senior director, public affairs, NAWC
• Megan Seymour, legislative affairs manager, AMWA
• Greg Fogel, director of government affairs and policy, WateReuse
Water 101 also highlighted challenges the water sector is facing with affordability, cybersecurity, aging infrastructure, and emerging contaminants, as well as current efforts to address these concerns.
The AWWA Government Affairs staff, along with member volunteers, work with members of Congress to garner support for AWWA priorities. The 119th Congress presents new opportunities for AWWA members to establish relationships with newly elected officials. Most members of Congress do not have a background in water utility operations or management, which makes members’ knowledge extremely valuable. The Government Affairs legislative team can assist with developing these relationships and facilitating opportunities such as the annual Water Matters! Fly-In for utilities to share their
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Pictured above from far left: Jay Tanner, AWWA; Ted Stiger, NAWC; Megan Seymour, AMWA; Greg Fogel, WateReuse Association; Amanda Aspatore, NACWA; Steve Via, AWWA; and Nate Norris, AWWA
At Partnership for Safe/Clean Water, we know you want to be a knowledgeable and efficient water provider for your community. To do that, you need guidance and support.
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www.awwa.org/programs/partnership-for-safe-water
Metro Apprenticeship Programs Are Making Waves for The Water Workforce
The Cities of Chaska and Plymouth are leaning into developing the next era of the water workforce and are exploring what it means to run successful apprenticeship programs – with different approaches. Their goal remains the same: to make it easier and more accessible for people to join secure, well-paying careers in the water workforce.
The water workforce is a sector of jobs that doesn’t receive a lot of fanfare or attention, but they are critical in ensuring clean water reaches your tap and that lakes and rivers around the state are fishable and swimmable.
The water workforce is a sector of jobs that doesn’t receive a lot of fanfare or attention, but they are critical in ensuring clean water reaches your tap and that lakes and rivers around the state are fishable and swimmable. These jobs range from natural resource managers and engineers to water and wastewater treatment operators, and in recent years, many municipalities in particular are struggling to find dedicated folks to hire in their water operations. While there are several reasons for these labor
shortages such as a lack of awareness and a historic lack of diversity, retirements are also a primary contributor with about one-third of the water workforce reaching retirement age in the next ten years, according to the EPA.
Addressing workforce shortages requires collaboration, and efforts began 2019 with Minnesota’s section of the American Water Works Association to bridge the gaps in these career areas and has since morphed into Freshwater’s Water Workforce Pathways program. Regularly convening 43 members across Minnesota that include water and wastewater utilities, watershed districts, workforce professionals, nonprofits, technical schools, and engineering companies, this team works together to share best practices on outreach, hiring, retention, and training opportunities such as internships and apprenticeships, a critical pathway to introduce people to these careers.
Building an apprenticeship program into existing employment structures takes time, and Chaska and Plymouth are finally starting to see their efforts in action after years of development.
The Minnesota Water Workforce recommends that each water professional take the following steps to build the future water workforce – templates are included to help you get started:
1. Visit a K-12 classroom or hold a tour for students.
2. Attend a career fair.
3. Build an internship or apprenticeship program. Building an apprenticeship program into existing employment structures takes time, and Chaska and Plymouth are finally starting to see their efforts in action after years of development.
Matt Haefner, Water and Sewer Director with the City of Chaska began discussions of their new apprenticeship program in 2022. “I was trying to identify a method to give individuals an opportunity to learn about our industry who might not otherwise know about it,” said Haefner. Met with enthusiasm from the City, they welcomed their first apprentice, Luis (below ), who has
now become a full-time Chaska Water and Sewer employee after two 6-month terms as an apprentice.
Abbie Browen, Public Works Operations Manager with the City of Plymouth had similar goals as Haefner when she began conversations of adding a Maintenance Worker Apprenticeship in late 2023. Working with union representatives to mutually agree on the format of a tri-division maintenance apprenticeship spanning the streets, utilities, and parks departments, their first apprentice was welcomed in September 2024 with two more to join
the team in March. While still in the early stages of the program, apprentices will toggle between the three maintenance divisions over the span of two years.
One Plymouth apprentice hones their chainsaw skills during a stint with the parks department ( right).
Both programs are reducing barriers to entry by minimizing the qualifications required to apply, opting instead for on-the-job training: a key tactic in growing your own workforce.
“There were no skills or training requirements to participate in the program. We went into it knowing we would be training individuals
from the start,” Haefner notes. In Plymouth, Browen cites a similar practice, “the minimum qualifications are a high school diploma (or equivalent) and a valid driver’s license. All other skills and training are provided once hired.”
Among the requirements for these positions, a desire to learn and dedication to the work are ranked as most important.
As Browen and Haefner are learning, there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to developing an apprenticeship program. It’s important to be open to adaptation, in terms of what works best for meeting the needs of existing teams, as in the case of the tri-divisional apprenticeship approach in Plymouth. “We’ve purposely kept the program and schedule flexible and are constantly looking for feedback from apprentices, existing staff, and management to adapt and evolve the apprenticeship over time,” Browen states. Equally important is working with the apprentice to build an opportunity that meets them wherever they are by building in the necessary training. As Haefner remarks, “Each City must look at their own situation and see what fits best. For us, we felt we had enough quality seasoned operators that we could start with someone without any experience. We could train and coach the person.”
While each situation is unique to the type of water career and employing organization, sharing these experiences for everyone to learn from is critical in addressing workforce constraints systemically, and that’s one of the goals of Freshwater’s Water Workforce Pathways program. To learn more, join the conversation, or share your water workforce experiences, connect with Chyann Mosey, program coordinator at Freshwater. •
so do we.
UTILITY BENCHMARKING PROVIDES USEFUL STAFFING LEVEL COMPARISONS
One of the most used indicators from the AWWA Utility Benchmarking Survey is the Staffing Levels metric, which allows participating utilities to compare their staffing levels to peer utilities. This is useful for aligning with strategic priorities, planning for anticipated changes in service delivery, and determining whether current resources are adequate to meet service levels.
Participants submit data on the number of employees in 20 categories for both water and wastewater functions. The aggregate data is presented in quartiles as a total count for both water and wastewater. It is also organized for each category and by operation and maintenance (O&M) and non-O&M subtotals. The sub-categories show the percent of employees allocated to a particular job category.
Austin Water in Texas analyzed the Benchmarking Survey staffing data from large utilities to evaluate internal and external growth rates and ensure its readiness to address emerging industry challenges.
This data serves as a benchmark for determining baseline growth rates, guiding the annual staffing planning process to align with strategic priorities and staffing needs.
“Understanding staffing patterns helped Austin Water plan for growth, estimate future hiring needs, and develop more accurate budgets and forecasts,” said Damian Monreal, senior business process consultant.
In the latest Benchmarking Survey, open now through April 4, there is a new indicator, ‘Staffing Levels per 1,000 Population Served.’ This will allow utilities to benchmark staffing levels per 1,000 population served for both water and wastewater. The aggregated results can be used across utilities, regardless of size, to compare staffing levels across the water sector.
The City of Longmont in Colorado worked with AWWA to develop the new indicator. The utility included staffing level data when presenting its water rate study to its governing board.
The study analyzes whether adequate revenues will be generated to meet operating costs in providing service.
Utility operations leaders had reported challenges with coverage and availability due to staff retirements, additional regulatory requirements, less interest in on-call positions, and an increase in time-off benefits for employees (vacation increases, maternity/paternity leave, etc.).
Using the new FTE indicator, the Longmont utility’s presentation showed that over a 30-year period, it had invested heavily in automation and achieved a significant reduction in budgeted FTE. Over the past decade, the utility had only hired FTE commensurate with population growth. Even with a proposed FTE increase in 2025, staffing levels would still be well below the median when compared to peer utilities.
“It was an effective slide to demonstrate that Longmont has made significant strides in increasing operational efficiency, and even with a proposed increase in FTE, Longmont was still comparable and even slightly below peer utilities,” said John Gage, engineering & operations administrator with Longmont’s water & wastewater department.
Visit the www.awwa.org/programs/benchmarking/#about for more information about how to get started or email benchmarking@awwa.org. •
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ADVANCE OUR PROFESSION
by sharing your knowledge, expertise and experience
Breeze magazine is the official publication of our Minnesota Section of AWWA. Distributed in print to all of our members and industry stakeholders as well as online in a mobile-friendly digital edition, our industry-specific magazine will be instrumental in helping water professionals across our great state stay informed and current on the industry’s latest trends, techniques and important news.
We are looking for topical, timely and informative articles provided by operators, managers, engineers, consultants, environmentalists, etc. who are willing to share their knowledge and expertise by contributing an article to the Breeze magazine. It is an ideal way to:
✓ enhance the knowledge of your colleagues
✓ advance the water profession throughout Minnesota
✓ gain exposure and recognition with your peers
* Note: We will provide additional details and any assistance you require to ensure a smooth and efficient contribution process.
If
Future of Drinking Water: CLEAN WATER FUND
“The Minnesota Drinking Water Action Plan is a 10-year action plan to ensure that everyone, everywhere in Minnesota has equitable access to safe and sufficient drinking water.”
MINNESOTA DRINKING WATER ACTION PLAN
MDH is working with partners to develop a 10-year action plan to ensure that everyone, everywhere in Minnesota has equitable access to safe and sufficient drinking water. We are currently incorporating feedback from the Fall review period and plan to have the updated plan posted in early 2025.
ABOUT THE PLAN
The Minnesota Drinking Water Action Plan (the Plan) is a 10-year action plan to ensure that everyone, everywhere in Minnesota has equitable access to safe and sufficient drinking water.
• The Plan will serve every Minnesotan. Every person in Minnesota should be confident their drinking water is safe, regardless of where their water comes from or where they live.
• The Plan will be the State’s commitment to protect against existing and emerging threats that endanger safe drinking water.
• The Plan incorporates diverse expertise and feedback. Through partnership with University of Minnesota Water Resources Center, Freshwater Society, and Clean River Partners, the plan incorporates expertise and feedback from: water professionals; state, local, and tribal governments; researchers; and Minnesotans who drink water. We gathered feedback through community meetings, surveys, and discussions.
• The Plan builds on existing plans and reports. Minnesota has many plans related to water, but none that specifically focus on drinking water. This plan focuses on drinking water, builds on other water-related plans, and is a next step in carrying out recommendations from the 2020 The Future of Minnesota Drinking Water: A Framework for Managing Risk.
WHAT’S IN THE PLAN?
The Plan outlines goals, strategies, actions, and key measures to address drinking water issues that affect all Minnesotans. The Plan also contains summaries of key policies, opportunities, challenges, and threats that shape our drinking water systems in Minnesota.
Drinking water is a complex, multifaceted topic that involves multiple sectors. Because of the wide range of topics that impact drinking water, the plan will have highlevel goals and actions that span topics. For instance, it will not focus on individual contaminants, like arsenic or PFAS. Rather, it will identify strategies to manage the risk of emerging or legacy contaminants for which there is new health risk information.
IS OUR CURRENT DRINKING WATER GOVERNANCE EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT AND TRUSTWORTHY?
To inform the development of the Drinking Water Action Plan, the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center conducted an assessment of the current governance of systems impacting drinking water in Minnesota. This assessment helps identify challenges and opportunities the Drinking Water Action Plan could address. This report summarizes the input received from focus group conversations and a survey with drinking water professionals based on an established set of criteria known as the Governance Assessment Framework.
RESIDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES ON DRINKING WATER
Another aspect of developing the Drinking Water Action Plan included contracting with partners at the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center, Freshwater, and Clean River Partners to carry out community meetings around the topic of drinking water. From November 2023 through
“
Equitable access to safe and sufficient drinking water is essential to healthy communities and a healthy economy.”
January 2024, these partners hosted seven community meetings in Austin, Faribault, Lewiston, Little Falls, Northfield, St. Cloud, and the Twin Cities with 190 residents participating. During these meetings, participants provided feedback on their personal drinking water preferences, perceptions, and drinking water issues to address going forward. These meetings demonstrated that community engagement is crucial for understanding Minnesotans’ experiences with drinking water and help us understand Minnesotans’ values and expectations related to drinking water. Below are key takeaways:
1. Approximately two-thirds of participants supported the development of new state drinking water standards for Minnesota, which could be stricter than federal standards.
2. A majority of respondents expressed trust in their tap water. However, approximately 20% of survey participants expressed distrust in their tap water, with the most common concerns being contaminants, chemicals, and water hardness.
3. When doing statewide community engagement, it is imperative to collaborate with local partners who can reach specific communities and provide cultural context.
4. Emphasizing cultural sensitivity and awareness, respecting the distinct needs of tribal partners, attending to the diversity of languages spoken, and prioritizing communication accessibility are all vital practices when engaging community members.
ABOUT THE FUTURE OF DRINKING WATER INITIATIVE
Equitable access to safe and sufficient drinking water is essential to healthy communities and a healthy economy.
New challenges and existing inequities threaten this foundational resource.
The 2023 Minnesota Legislature provided Clean Water Fund dollars to Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to “…develop public health policies and an action plan to address threats to safe drinking water, including development of a statewide plan for protecting drinking water…” (Minnesota Laws of 2023, chapter 40, article 2, section 7e). This work is called the Future of Drinking Water Initiative.
PREVIOUS PROJECTS
Eliminating Lead in Drinking Water
The 2017 Minnesota Legislature directed MDH to “conduct an analysis to determine the scope of the lead problem in Minnesota’s water and the cost to eliminate lead exposure in drinking water.” In collaboration with the University of Minnesota, MDH assessed the scope of the lead problem by examining the two main sources of lead: lead service lines and indoor plumbing. The resulting report estimates costs for removing these two most significant sources of lead to be between $1.52 billion and $4.12 billion over 20 years. However, the benefit in IQ and increased productivity is easily two times the cost. This report supported the Minnesota Legislature’s provision of $240 million to remove and replace lead pipes across Minnesota, with the goal to complete the removal of all lead service lines by 2033.
The Future of Minnesota Drinking Water: A Framework for Managing Risk
MDH contracted with the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center and Humphrey School of Public Affairs to assess threats and barriers to Minnesota’s safe drinking water system and translate emerging science into protective public health policy and action.
Organizational Analysis of Community Public Water Supply (CPWS) Unit
The project was conducted in collaboration with Minnesota Management and Budget Management and Analysis (MAD) staff to examine possibilities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the CPWS Unit in its ongoing work with community public water systems to help ensure safe and sufficient drinking water. This project was completed in April 2022 with numerous actionable outcomes including an updated CPWS Unit Work Plan, recommendations for staffing improvements, document management standards, and an internal Unit Communications Plan. The CPWS Unit has successfully implemented many of these actions.
COVID Response in Public Water Systems After Action Review
While deemed an After-Action Review (AAR), this effort was inaugurated in the fall of 2020 as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were still ongoing. The effort allowed for the Drinking Water Protection Section (DWP) – the section that works with public water systems – to document new processes, lessons learned, and plans for its work through the duration of the pandemic and subsequently. Through the course of 2021, DWP implemented numerous AAR recommendations, including in the areas of staff safety, return to work/office expectations, staff connections (e.g., check-in best practices, section-wide communication opportunities), building/ re-building external partnerships, and use of technology to support new work settings. The AAR was completed with the engagement and assistance of Minnesota Management and Budget Management and Analysis (MAD) staff. •
2025 Annual Conference Duluth, Minnesota
September 16–19, 2025
EDEN PRAIRIE: Driving Water Distribution Network Improvements with Geospatial AI
Overview
The City of Eden Prairie sits 12 miles southwest of downtown Minneapolis in the State of Minnesota, United States. With a population growing to just over 64,000, the city has been recognized as a great place to work and raise a family for many years. Its progressivethinking and drive to have its citizens share in what goes on is, in part, the reason why the City Government boasts high engagement and satisfaction with its communities.
Rick Wahlen, Utility Operations Manager, leads the city’s Utilities Division which is responsible for all the water, wastewater and storm water systems within the community. Rick’s division undertakes infrastructure planning and maintenance, and the care and upkeep of everything that involves utility support to the City’s public.
“As a Government organization that exists to serve our communities, we’re constantly thinking ahead and looking at how we can improve our services to provide value for our citizens,” explains Rick. “And that’s an important cornerstone of our ‘Invest now, spend less later’ strategy,” explains Rick.
The Value of Water
In the United States people have become accustomed to the fact that water is cheap, unlike other utilities like gas and electric whose much higher rates are tolerated by consumers. A lot of communities struggle to raise water rates to the point where they can afford to self-maintain their system in the future and pay for expensive underground repairs.”
At Eden Prairie we have a plan that allows us to incrementally in small amounts raise our water bill annually to be able to meet those needs and our citizens are on board with that,” says Rick. “We have a thorough, deliberate and intentional capital improvement planning process enabling us to set aside capital dollars from the sales revenues that we collect from our customers. It’s what our citizens expect, they’re accustomed to it and it’s working very well for us.”
“We’re still a young enough community that we could be money well spent and money ahead by just waiting for a break and then fixing it when it occurs. But that’s not how we operate, and it would catch up with us before long. We want to be proactive and we would much rather replace a pipe that should be coming to failure rather than waiting until it pops a leak, disrupts service and costs three times as much to fix in the middle of the night on a Saturday.”
A Plan For Water Efficiency
Planning for and maintaining a water distribution system comprising almost 20,000 service connections and 398 miles of water distribution network, the Utilities team was seeking a way to anticipate areas and incidence of failure so they could make informed decisions for project planning and investing capital improvement dollars.
The Utility finally settled on a product that they believed would help them achieve their goals. Rezatec’s geospatial AI platform uses satellite data, internal GIS data sets, and external data including soils and topography. It combines this with historic incident data recorded over three years by the City’s team to correlate the product’s AI algorithms. The greater the number of variables within the data, the more accurate its predictions become.
It fuses this data with the most advanced algorithms in the industry to analyze and provide insights for Eden Prairie’s entire water distribution network. Rezatec’s predictive AI tells the City’s Utility team the top areas of their network that are at the highest risk of failure, providing a likelihood of failure and a predicted cost of failure. The platform data is updated and added to every month, providing a historical view and a more accurate predictive analysis going forward as the AI model learns Eden Prairie’s environment.
“The initial analysis revealed potential distribution system failure locations at an anticipated 80% accuracy,” explains Rick. “That’s data we’ve never had before and it’s a really powerful boost to our
confidence. Over time as we continue to feed more data into the platform, the AI model will fine tune its learning of our environment and predictability will become even more accurate.”
Corrosion? It’s The Pits!
Eden Prairie’s early community planning team in the 1970’s adopted a construction standard requiring state-of-theart materials, choosing ductile iron pipe for its strength, resilience and long 100 years plus lifecycle. This standard remained in place throughout the explosive growth of the community in the 1980s and 1990s. The challenge for today’s Utilities team is that the City is located in a glacial moraine environment, which includes a variety of sub- surface soil conditions that can have a major impact on the maintenance of buried metallic pipeline systems.
“At a wall thickness of 1/4 inch, our ductile iron standard for watermain materials was believed to be more durable and longerlasting than plastic pipe and structurally superior to cast-iron and concrete pipe products. The metallurgy of the pipe makes it far more flexible and resistant to subsurface sheer forces than castiron, and at the time cement-lined ductile iron was clearly among the best options available. It’s structural resistance to soil movement, temperature change and other physical forces make ductile iron a remarkable pipe material,” says Rick. “Even though the pipe is far better than the older cast-iron product there is less of it to resist corrosion. The strength of the pipe allows it to be constructed thinner and lighter, which unintentionally becomes a factor in a corrosive environment. Our glacial moraine geologic environment is a jumble of discontinuous soil types, including many hot- soil pockets that can lead to corrosion pittings eventually penetrating the pipe wall. We’re seeing random failure in fairly new pipe when we really shouldn’t.”
With between 6 to 20 breaks per year, which peaked at 54 in 2020, Rick’s team has been fixing these leaks as they occur, documenting their location, taking measurements and collecting pipe and soil samples to determine any patterns. However, no definitive trend has emerged to enable the team to figure out where failures will happen next. “The one thing we could not predict is where a corrosion pit is going to occur in the wall of a pipe. Where is a pipe going to start leaking? We now have a basis to begin to be able to make those decisions,” says Rick.
“The AI analytics evaluate soil condition and pH, soil movement, moisture content, temperature differentials and all those factors that correlate to leaks that are already starting. Failure history, pipe attributes and other locally known factors are included in the analytics. We believe this should help us to be able to get ahead of failure, replacing pipes and valves, before there is a leak. Not only does it lead to minimal disruption to service for our communities, but it should help us to plan our capital expenditures and upgrades much more accurately,” he adds.
Investigative Technologies Can Be Cost-Efficient
According to Rick: “The major effort, cost and uncertainty comes in trying to look for precursors of breaks compared to the relatively inexpensive cost of fixing leaks as they occur, which averages around $8,000 per failure.”
“Identifying failure sites before they actually occur typically relies on penetrative technologies like magnetic resonance imaging which from inside the pipe looks at its condition and, if an external corrosion pit is developing, it will be highlighted.” “That technology is awesome,” adds Rick. “But at around $50,000 per mile, we can’t afford to do the whole town. It’s just not cost effective. Also, you might expose a section of pipe for a repair but not be aware that the valve bolts 2 feet outside of that section are corroded and ready to break or if a pipe segment just outside the repair zone is similarly damaged and soon to fail.”
“We’ve found that Rezatec’s technology provides a comprehensive view of our entire system and helps us to understand where our network is likely to fail. It’s the most logical, best first place to start. Then, upon assessment, we could use some of the more pinpointed definitive pipe condition detection technologies based within the areas showing a high likelihood of failure.”
“If we can examine specific segments of targeted pipe throughout town instead of entire blocks hoping to find weak spots, that means we can plan for and direct the use of investigative technologies in a much more focused and cost- effective way,” he continues.
Making The Invisible Visible
The application of AI technology on a large number of data sets has thrown up additional insights, providing the Utilities team with a new set of challenges. “The most surprising thing is that the analytics are pointing us towards a likelihood of failure in the next year of portions of the system that previously have never been perceived as having an issue,” explains Rick. The team is working with Rezatec to understand the characteristics within the data and the algorithm that highlights these unobserved areas. “There are quite a few places in town that could deserve some additional attention that were not on our radar based on past experience.
“Rezatec’s AI technology provides a comprehensive view of our entire system and helps us to understand where our network is most likely to fail.”
– Rick Wahlen, Utility Operations Manager, Eden Prairie
So now we have to decide how we are going to attack those areas and put together a reasonable plan for us to methodically approach these potential leak sites in a way that we can accomplish within our available resources,” he says.
“All of us in the water utilities sector struggle with finding enough financial resources to take care of our systems. And sometimes the thought of investing in another new technology is perceived as taking money away from your limited repair budget. But we must consider that by having a greater understanding of the invisible portion of your system, we can recover many of those costs through more efficient and more targeted repairs in the future. I am hopeful this first year of implementing this AI analysis that we will more than offset the cost of our investment in short order.”
“Avoiding emergency repairs, we could easily save 30% on the cost of a repair project by using predictive analytics and proactively being right about where the failure will occur, rather than waiting for it to happen after hours on weekends and holidays. Plus, those emergency repairs don’t fix the whole problem area. They only fix that little bit of pipe that springs a leak,” concludes Rick. •
Algae Control Cost
MN AWWA
Advertiser Product & Service Center
Breeze is made possible by the companies below who convey their important messages on our pages. We thank them for their support of The Minnesota Section of the American Water Works Association (MN AWWA) and its publication, and encourage you to contact them when making your purchasing decisions. To make it easier to contact these companies, we have included the page number of their advertisement, their phone number, and, where applicable, their website.
Company
AE2S 10 701-364-9111 www.ae2s.com
Apex Engineering Group 26 701-373-7980 www.apexenggroup.com
Arcadis U.S., Inc. 3 614-985-9100 www.arcadis.com
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E.H. Renner & Sons, Inc. 17 763-427-6100 www.ehrenner.com
Electric Pump, Inc. 27 800-211-6432 www.electricpump.com
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General Repair Service 2 800-767-5151 www.generalrepair.com
Hawkins Water Treatment Group 12 877-240-0304 www.hawkinsinc.com/groups/ water-treatment
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Integra Clear Co – Vita-D-Chlor 19 800-322-6646 www.vita-d-chlor.com
ISG 29 507-387-6651 www.isginc.com
Janssen Machine Co. 36 218-493-4470 www.janssenmachine.com
KLM Engineering, Inc. 4 888-959-5111 www.klmengineering.com
Mid America Meter LLC 17 800-324-0365 www.midamericameter.com
Milbank Winwater 14 605-432-4594 www.winsupplyinc.com
Minnesota Pump Works 22 877-645-8004 www.minnesotapumpworks.com
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Northern Dewatering, Inc. 20 763-428-2616 www.northerndewatering.com
Northwestern Power Equipment Company 40 651-628-0683 www.nwpeco.com
Pittsburg Tank & Tower Maintenance Co., Inc. 30 270-826-9000 www.pttg.com
Rice Lake Construction Group 22 218-546-5519 www.ricelake.org
SEH 26 651-490-2000 www.sehinc.com
Stantec 30 651-604-4706 www.stantec.com
Team Laboratory Chemical Corp. 6 800-522-8326 www.teamlab.net
Vessco, Inc. 8, 25 952-941-2678 www.vessco.com
W. W. Goetsch Associates, Inc. 29 952-831-4340 info@wwgoetsch.com
Water Conservation Services, Inc. 22 612-600-8716 www.watermainleaklocator.com
Widseth 22 218-829-5117 www.widseth.com
Ziegler Cat 30 952-885-8218 www.zieglercat.com
To reach water professionals through Breeze magazine and its targeted readership, contact Jeff at your earliest convenience to discuss your company’s promotional plans.
