Robbinsdale Water Treatment Plant Wins Environmental Project of the Year
Robbinsdale’s new water treatment plant is getting statewide recognition. The city’s Public Works Department received a 2023 APWA-MN chapter award for environmental project of the year.
The plant became fully operational in November 2022. It brought residents significantly softer water and an upgrade that was years in the making.
Public Works Director and City Engineer Richard McCoy said winning an award for its infrastructure transformation was an honor.
“Your goal is not to win awards. It is to do the best job for the residents that you serve,” McCoy said. “Luckily for us, we ended up with an amazing product.”
Robbinsdale Public Works’ award for “Project of the Year (Environmental).”
The project had more local ties as it partnered with AE2S, a water engineering consulting firm based in Maple Grove.
Aaron Vollmer, client program leader with AE2S, said it’s exciting to win and thanked the team and city for putting in the work that got them there.
McCoy said he believes the project won for a number of reasons. One being the facility’s green roof, which is covered in foliage.
Another feature is its waste-free approach. When the lime-softening process removes minerals from the water, the excess sludge gets pressed down separately. The excess is then loaded into a truck and brought to a farm in Owatonna, Minn. where farmers use it on their soil.
The environmental impact also stretches to Robbinsdale homes, which no longer have to have their own water softening systems.
“We’ve substantially reduced the amount of chlorides that are being discharged to the sanitary sewer, ultimately ending up in the streams and rivers that we value within the state,” Vollmer said.
You can view the full list of honorees on the APWA-MN’s website.
More information about the city’s nomination and transformation is in this PDF.
