Water Treatment Facility
The Water Treatment facility is located adjacent to City Hall at 101 Northeast Seventh Avenue. The earliest maps available illustrate five miles of water main and date back to 1892. The water was pumped out of the Mississippi River and into the watermains for consumption.
Beginning in 1923 and continuing for the next two years, the City installed eleven wells to supply the community with water. For the next ten years, the water supply for the City of Little Falls was pumped directly from the well into the water system. The ground water in the area contains high iron content and created an unsatisfactory taste to the drinking water.
In 1933, the City commissioned a study to treat the groundwater before distribution to its residents. The proposed system would remove the iron and soften the water. It was shown that the cost savings in soap alone would pay for the additional cost to construct a community wide lime softening water treatment plant.
In 1937, the first water treatment facility was constructed. The facility was a state of the art lime softening plant and continued to provide treated water to our residents City until 1972 when the current treatment facility was built.
The original water treatment facility was converted into the current City Hall building in 1974. The City continued its commitment to soft water with the construction the current lime softening plant. Today, the City relies on eight wells that are approximately 90 feet deep, two ground storage tanks, two elevated storage tanks, and approximately 70 miles of watermain to provide the City with an average of one million gallons of water per day.
In 2015, the City was awarded a Certificate of Commendation from Governor Mark Dayton in recognition "of our efforts to keep Little Falls' water supply clean; our success in water protection efforts demonstrates how local involvement by land owners, residents, and government can lead to innovative and effective solutions".
In 2018, the City was awarded the Best Tasting Water in the State of Minnesota by Minnesota Rural Water Association, and will be competing at the National Competition in February 2019.
Your Water staff is:
- Mitchell LeBlanc
- Ron Zablocki
Contact Information
Dwayne Heinen, Water Superintendent
Physical Address: 101 Northeast Seventh Avenue
Mailing Address: P O Box 244, Little Falls, MN 56345-0244
Available Resources:
Consumer Confidence Reports:
Additional information available at the Safe Drinking Water Act, United State Environmental Protection Agency.
Helpful Information, website links and documents:
Video, Minnesota Department of Health, Sealing Unused Wells: Sealing Well
Well Owner's Handbook, Minnesota Department of Health
Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems (septic systems), Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Awards Received: