Rochester Public Utilities | Blog

22nd Annual Arbor Day Celebration to be held on April 26th

April 24, 2024- ROCHESTER, MN— Rochester Public Utilities, with partners Maier Tree & Lawn, Rochester Park & Recreation, and Sargent’s Gardens, will hold its 22nd Annual Arbor Day Celebration on Friday, April 26, 2024. Come join in the celebration at RCTC’s Field House located at 851 30th Ave SE in Rochester (due to weather), with live music, free trees, and free lunch! Smokey Bear, chainsaw carver, games, and many more family activities will be taking place.

The fun and free community event will feature a variety of activities, music, and displays that will include: A tree giveaway (while supplies last), a free lunch of hot dogs, corn on the cob, chips, cookies, and soda will be provided (while supplies last). Tree experts will also be on hand to answer questions on tree planting and care, along with many other vendor activities and information.

Children will be able to enjoy the apple toss game, tree cookie stacking, tree ring toss, tree medallion necklaces, and much more!

At noon, an awards ceremony will honor Rochester elementary school students who were selected as finalists of the 2024 Arbor Day poster contest, as well as this year’s overall winner, Shaarav Nawale, a 4th grader at Washington Elementary. Shaarav will receive a $100 Target gift card, his winning poster will be featured in RPU’s 2025 calendar, and a tree will be planted in his honor at Washington Elementary School. This year’s poster contest theme was “Trees Are Terrific…For Animals Too!”

RPU line crews will also be partnering with Rochester Parks & Recreation on a tree planting for The Right Tree in the Right Place program on Wednesday, May 1 in NW Rochester near John Adams Middle School. This is an annual event to plant the proper type of boulevard trees in different neighborhoods in Rochester.

Co-Sponsors of this year’s event include: ArborWise, Culligan of Greater Minnesota, Hy-Vee, Jim Whiting Nursery & Garden Center, Kemps, Minnesota Energy Resources, Pepsi, Sekapp Orchard, and Seneca Foods.

In the event of rain, the celebration will be moved to Rochester Community & Technical College’s Field House. This announcement will be made on the RPU Facebook (Rochester Public Utilities) and Twitter (@rpualerts) accounts.

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 58,000 customers. Water customers number more than 41,000.  RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive. Current initiatives include photovoltaic offerings, wind energy, energy and water efficient equipment, and electric vehicle charging.

###

Posted: Apr 24, 2024 by Tony B | Comments Off on 22nd Annual Arbor Day Celebration to be held on April 26th

RPU voted best tasting drinking water at Minnesota Rural Water Association Conference

Click to view MRWA newsletter

Posted: Apr 05, 2024 by Tony B | Comments Off on RPU voted best tasting drinking water at Minnesota Rural Water Association Conference

2024 Lake Zumbro Dam Spring and Summer Pool

March 6, 2024- Due to warmer weather, Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) will be slowly restoring the reservoir to the summer pool elevation of 914.5 MSL the week of March 11th.  Lake Zumbro will be maintained at normal summer pool (914.5 MSL) throughout the rest of the spring and summer season, to the extent possible. However, the public should be aware that the Zumbro Hydroelectric Plant has extremely limited capacity to pass flood flow, resulting in occasional high water events that exceed normal pool.

Real-time lake level information is available on the RPU web site (www.rpu.org). For additional information regarding the Zumbro Dam and Hydroelectric Facility please contact Tony Benson 280-1534 or Todd Osweiler, 280-1589.

Tips for safe boating:

Watch the weather. Be aware of changing water levels and conditions that would expose logs, snags or cause floating debris. Be cautious when boating in the vicinity of the dam. Do not proceed past the warning signs and buoys. Tell someone where you are going, who is with you, and how long you will be away. Avoid standing, and when changing seats, stay low and near the centerline of your boat. Be ready for trouble when a powerboat passes you in a narrow channel. Maintain a safe operating speed. Always wear approved personal flotation devices (PFD).

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 58,000 customers.  Water customers number more than 41,000.  RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive.  Current initiatives include photovoltaic offerings, wind energy, energy and water efficient equipment, and electric vehicle charging.

#

Posted: Mar 06, 2024 by Tony B | Comments Off on 2024 Lake Zumbro Dam Spring and Summer Pool

Sixty-Seven Public Power Systems Earn Excellence in Public Power Communications Awards

Sixty-seven public power electric utilities and utility organizations earned Excellence in Public Power Communications Awards from the American Public Power Association. The awards were presented this week at APPA’s Customer Connections Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

The annual awards recognize excellence in communications. The entries are judged in three categories: Print & Digital, Web & Social Media, and Video. Awards were given to those that showed ingenuity and creativity in telling their stories through outstanding copy, design, financial data presentation, graphics, social media engagement, video editing, and web layout and interactivity.

This year’s awards were judged by Jakub Konysz, Founder and CEO, Global Navigators; Steven M. Mandurano, Principal: Marketing, Membership & Communications, Association CMO LLC; and Lidia Varesco Racoma, Brand Strategist & Marketing Designer, Lidia Varesco Design.

The winners are:

Class A: Gross revenues of $400 million or more

Print/Digital

Video

Web/Social Media

Class B: Gross revenues of $200 million-$399,999,999

 Print/Digital

Video

Web/Social Media

Class C: Gross revenues of $75 million-$199,999,999

Print/Digital

Video

Web/Social Media

Class D: Gross revenues of less than $75 million

Print/Digital

Video

Web/Social Media

Posted: Dec 15, 2023 by Tony B | Comments Off on Sixty-Seven Public Power Systems Earn Excellence in Public Power Communications Awards

2023 Lake Zumbro Dam Fall Drawdown

ROCHESTER, MN—The fall drawdown of Lake Zumbro is scheduled to begin on October 29th. The drawdown is necessary for planned maintenance at the hydroelectric facility and shoreline restoration work.  The public should be aware that the drawdown planned for this fall will be substantially greater than normal.  A typical fall drawdown is less than two feet; whereas this year a four foot drawdown will be attempted.  These plans are subject to change depending on rainfall and resulting runoff.  RPU’s drawdown plan is as follows:

The drawdown plan is subject to change depending on weather conditions.

During the months of December through March, Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) will attempt to maintain the lake level at the winter pool of 913.0 MSL.

Real-time lake level information, along with Lake Zumbro hydro updates are available on the RPU web site (www.rpu.org). For additional information regarding the Zumbro Hydroelectric Facility please contact Tony Benson at (507) 280-1534.

Tips for lake ice safety:

Be extremely careful during winter activities that involve Lake Zumbro such as ice fishing, snowmobiling or just walking out on the frozen lake.

Watch the weather and river flow conditions.

Ice thickness and condition can vary greatly. Be very cautious.

Look out for ice heaves and exposed logs and snags.

Be cautious in the vicinity of the dam. De-icing equipment has been installed along the upstream face of the dam resulting in open water and/or thin ice.

Do not proceed past the warning signs and buoys.

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 56,000 customers.  Water customers number more than 40,000.  RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive.  Current initiatives include photovoltaic offerings, wind energy, energy and water efficient equipment, and electric vehicle charging.

###

Posted: Oct 06, 2023 by Tony B | Comments Off on 2023 Lake Zumbro Dam Fall Drawdown