Rochester Public Utilities | Blog

Archive for May, 2009

RPU to Open the Apache Mall Water Tower on Saturday, May 9 for Public Tours

Friday, May 8th, 2009

Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) will host an open house on Saturday, May 9 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Apache Mall water tower. The open house will give customers and the public a close up look at what it takes to provide the city of Rochester safe, reliable drinking water.

The Apache Mall water tower is a spheroid water storage facility and has the storage capacity of 500,000 gallons of water. In comparison, the Bandel reservoir located on Bandel Dr N.W. can hold up to 2,250,000 gallons of water.

 

Water for the city of Rochester is pumped from 30 deep groundwater wells located throughout the city.  Most wells are 24 inches in diameter and extend 400-1,000 feet in depth.  Water in the Rochester municipal system is drawn from water-bearing rock layers called aquifers.  An aquifer is any type of geologic material, such as sand or sandstone, which can supply water to wells or springs.  Most of Rochester’s water is drawn from the Jordan Aquifer, a deep sedimentary unit that underlies much of southeastern Minnesota.  Water is also drawn from several multi-formation wells including: Prairie du Chein-Jordan, Prairie du Chein-Galesville, Jordan-Galesville, and Prairie du Chein-Mt. Simon aquifers.

In 2008, Rochester water customers used 6,095,942 ccf, with each ccf equaling 748 gallons. Rochester customers in 2006 and 2007 though, used over 200,000 ccf more each year.

 

For more information on the water tower open house contact Tony Benson at 507-280-1534 or visit the RPU web site at www.rpu.org.

 

About Drinking Water Week

A safe, reliable water supply is critical to the success of any community. It creates jobs, attracts industry and investment, and provides for the health and welfare of citizens in ways ranging from disease prevention to fire suppression. We often take water supply for granted until it is threatened, either by drought, water main breaks, or some other event. For more than 30 years, the American Water Works Association and its members have celebrated Drinking Water Week – a unique opportunity for water professionals and the communities they serve to join together to recognize the vital role water plays in our daily lives.

Established in 1881, AWWA is the oldest and largest nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to safe water in North America.  AWWA has more than 60,000 members worldwide and its 4,600 utility members serve 80 percent of the U.S. population.

 

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 47,000 customers.  Water customers number more than 36,000.  RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive.  Current initiatives include fuel cell research, wind power, and photovoltaic offerings.

 

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RPU To Offer Rain Barrel Rebates

Monday, May 4th, 2009

 

 A $10 rebate is available to all RPU water customers on the purchase of a rain barrel or the materials to construct one.  Rain barrels can be placed under a roof downspout to collect stormwater runoff that can be used to water your lawn and gardens. This reduces runoff that carries polluntants into streams and rivers.

 Rain barrels:
• Conserve water in the summer months
• Help lower water bills
• Reduce water pollution
• Help keep excess water out of the sewer system
• Are easy to install

Here is a link to the rebate application: http://www.rpu.org/pdfs/2009_rain_barrel_app.pdf

For more information on rain barrels visit our site at: http://www.rpu.org/your_home/rebates_and_incentives/rain_barrel_rebate/

RPU Celebrates Drinking Water Week, May 3-9

Monday, May 4th, 2009

ROCHESTER, MN— Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) and the American Water Works Association, the authoritative resource on safe water, kicked off Drinking Water Week today, a celebration across North America of our most precious natural resource.

“Drinking Water Week provides a great opportunity to promote the benefits of our drinking water and our water system. Our water system has provided safe, reliable drinking water to Rochester residents for over 100 years. In addition to being safe and reliable, RPU drinking water is among the least expensive in the region, said Larry Koshire, RPU General Manager.

To commemorate the occasion, RPU will be providing customers with many opportunities to learn about the Rochester water system and the benefits of tap water. Located at the RPU Service Center a comparison display will be set up showing the price difference between bottled water and RPU drinking water, along with other resources on water quality and water conservation. In addition, RPU will have an open house at the Apache Mall water tower to provide customers an opportunity to see inside a water tower and to learn about how the water gets to their homes and businesses. The open house will be on Saturday, May 9 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

 About Drinking Water Week

A safe, reliable water supply is critical to the success of any community. It creates jobs, attracts industry and investment, and provides for the health and welfare of citizens in ways ranging from disease prevention to fire suppression. We often take water supply for granted until it is threatened, either by drought, water main breaks, or some other event. For more than 30 years, the American Water Works Association and its members have celebrated Drinking Water Week – a unique opportunity for water professionals and the communities they serve to join together to recognize the vital role water plays in our daily lives.

Established in 1881, AWWA is the oldest and largest nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to safe water in North America.  AWWA has more than 60,000 members worldwide and its 4,600 utility members serve 80 percent of the U.S. population.

 

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 47,000 customers.  Water customers number more than 36,000.  RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive.  Current initiatives include fuel cell research, wind power, and photovoltaic offerings.

 

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