Irrigation Well Planned for MN Park

With Sunshine Park off the municipal water system, the city could water during watering restriction periods with no impact to the stored water supply.

The Andover City Council in Minnesota unanimously directed city staff in January to move forward with plans to install an irrigation well at Sunshine Park. Currently, the city pumps water from its municipal system to the park

While there is an up-front cost of $60,000, Public Works Superintendent David Berkowitz said this would be paid off in a year-and-a-half by using the savings that would come from not paying water bills.

Berkowitz said last year’s water bill for Sunshine Park was $39,000. The city used 118,000 gallons of water per day from April through the end of September.

City Administrator Jim Dickinson said the ongoing costs for running and maintaining the well would be about 5 percent of the annual water costs.

There would still be water restrictions during the summer months to ensure there is enough in the water towers for fire protection or other emergency needs.

There will be a period this spring though when Sunshine Park is still using municipal water. Construction could begin in April and the well could come on-line by June.

Berkowitz and Dickinson said the city is looking at phasing irrigation wells into other city parks in the future, but it would have to make financial sense.

Source: ABC Newspapers