There are no homes in Eden Prairie that have been identified through testing as having lead or copper in the drinking water. The majority of homes in Eden Prairie were constructed after plumbing code safeguards against lead and copper leaching were implemented.

To find out if your home has a potential for possible lead or copper contamination, submit an inquiry to the Utilities Division or call 952-949-8530.

Yes. When added to water (or if naturally present in the correct amounts) fluoride greatly improves dental health. Long-term, qualitative studies have shown that fluoride in drinking water is actually reversing tooth decay among adults. We’ve known for years that fluoride enhances the formation of enamel on the teeth of growing children, but now that many decades of fluoride use can be documented, we are seeing significant long-term benefits to older people as well.

By law, all public water systems must ensure the drinking water is not only safe at the point of origin, but also at the point of use. Eden Prairie’s well water contains no bacteria, and the treatment process prevents the introduction of germs. To ensure your drinking water remains safe throughout many miles of water main, a very small amount of chlorine is added before the water leaves treatment. Because Eden Prairie is a very young community, and our water mains are so new, there is almost no consumption of chlorine within our community water distribution network. We also work very hard at keeping the water mains clear of debris and rust and biological film that inevitably accumulates in large pipes over the decades. Having newer, clean pipes results in less chlorine being needed to keep the system safe. Eden Prairie’s chlorine residual is remarkably low for a community of this size.

If you would like more information about Eden Prairie’s water treatment process, please submit an inquiry to the Water Treatment Plant.

Water treatment systems should be installed only if it they are actually needed and selected to address a specific water issue. Beware of false claims, deceptive sales pitches, inaccurate water quality data, and scare tactics used by some water treatment companies to sell expensive and unnecessary home water treatment units.

If the City's drinking water is not to your liking, or to verify the results of any testing that may have been done in your home, contact the City’s Water Treatment Plant staff for advice, as they test the water every single day using highly technical, laboratory-grade analytical equipment.

Beware of Water Treatment Scams

Minnesota well water naturally contains a lot of dissolved iron. Eden Prairie’s water softening treatment process removes nearly all of the naturally occurring iron within the water. However there is just enough iron remaining after treatment, that some of the remaining iron can precipitate out of the water when it is exposed to chlorine for a longer period of time.

During the spring, summer and autumn months, our customers use enough water for irrigation and other purposes to keep the water flowing quickly through the water mains. The water never has an opportunity to age. During the winter months, however, water use is much, much lower, allowing the water to flow very slowly through the large water mains. This longer exposure time contributes to the precipitation of iron in the water mains. It is a very small amount of iron, but enough to settle out in the bottom of some of the water mains.

Eden Prairie Utilities Division personnel flush the entire City water distribution system every spring to remove this sediment. During the flushing period, there are a few places in town where this “rusty” water can accumulate, and if you happen to turn on your faucet in that particular neighborhood where the crews are flushing, it is possible that you might draw some of this reddish water into your home before it has a chance to be flushed out into the street. If this happens, turn on your cold water faucets throughout your house, and let the water run for about five minutes to clear the lines.

There are many factors that could be causing odors, including an aging hot water heater.

Submit an inquiry to the Water Treatment Plant or call 952-949-8530 to speak with the lab director about possible causes.

Eden Prairie tap water averages 5 grains per gallon, or 90 milligrams per liter of total hardness.

Hardness in water is an expression of the amount of dissolved minerals. The two most common minerals found dissolved in drinking water contributing to water hardness are calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate.

The average hardness of Eden Prairie’s combined well water prior to treatment is around 360 milligrams per liter, or about 21 grains per gallon.

Residents of Eden Prairie do not need a water softener. Eden Prairie is one of the very few communities in the metropolitan area that softens its public water supply. The City’s water treatment softening process removes the calcium hardness from the water, as well as iron and manganese common in Minnesota water supplies, achieving the results you would expect from a home softener.

Visit the Groundwater and Drinking Water section of the website for more information about Eden Prairie's water.

30-day exemptions from the odd/even watering requirements are available for items such as new sod or landscaping; however, no lawn watering is allowed between the hours of noon and 5 p.m., even if you have an exemption.

Visit the Lawn Watering page of the website for more information and an application.

You can also contact the Utilities Division for more information.

Call the Utilities Division at 952-949-8530 to schedule an appointment. Once the water is turned on, a walk-through of the property must be done to ensure that no flooding or damage is going to be caused by frozen pipes, open faucets, etc. and to ensure the water meter is working properly.

For questions about utility billing or setting up an account, call Utility Billing during business hours at 952-949-8382, or submit a request to be contacted by our staff the next business day.

If the water has been turned off at the property water service valve (commonly called the curb stop), an appointment must be scheduled to meet Utilities Division staff to turn on the water. Once the water is turned on, a walk-through of the property must be done to ensure that no flooding or damage is going to be caused by frozen pipes, open faucets, etc. and to ensure the water meter is working properly.

The water and sewer utilities budget is funded entirely by user fees, not tax dollars. The utility rate structure is designed to maintain the system as it ages and encourage water conservation.

Learn more at edenprairiemn.gov/UtilityRates.

Water meters are read remotely by City personnel.

The meter in your home is connected to a sensor that transmits the reading electronically to a receiver.

This information is then uploaded into our utility billing software so that invoices can be calculated.

The City's residential water meters allow households to use a smart phone or computer to track water consumption and save money on water bills.

Visit edenprairiemn.gov/EyeOnWater to learn more and sign up.

Your meter is located inside (not outside) the house, usually in the basement near the hot water heater. The water meter could also be in a crawl space, pit in the floor, or utility room. Generally it will be nearest to the street side of the house. You are looking for a pipe coming through the basement floor. The meter is round, about the size of a fist and reads like an odometer.

Most properties have two shut-off valves on either side of the meter. One in the piping on the inlet side of the water meter and the other valve is on the discharge side of the water meter. Occasionally there will be just one valve. You will want to be familiar with the location of these valves, as these are the valves you would close if a pipe breaks in your house or if you’re doing plumbing repairs and need to have the water off.

Meter repair appointments are scheduled Monday through Friday with the first time at 8 a.m. and the last time at 2 p.m.

Contact the Utilities Division at 952-949-8530 for an appointment.

Information about Eden Prairie’s lawn watering restrictions can be found at edenprairiemn.gov/LawnWatering.

For questions about the City’s watering restrictions, contact the Utilities Division.

If a recent loss of water pressure has occurred at all the faucets in the building, make sure the meter valves next to the water meter are open. If the meter valves are open and the recent loss of water pressure persists, contact the Utilities Division at 952-949-8530.

If low water pressure has been a long-term problem and there are no apparent water leaks, some or all of these items may cause poor water pressure:

• Meter valves and other valves not fully open.
• Clogged screens on faucets.
• Faulty pressure-reducing valve (not every home has this device).
• Faulty pressure-boosting pump (only some properties have a booster pump).
• Corroded plumbing (in older construction homes).

You may need to contact a plumber for professional advice if the problem stems from within the home. Maintenance on all water piping on private property is the responsibility of the property owner. The City advises homeowners to seek advice and obtain bids from at least three licensed plumbers who are familiar with low-water pressure problems.

Between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on weekdays, contact the Utilities Division at 952-949-8530.

After 3:30 p.m. on weekdays or on weekends, contact the Police Department at 952-949-6200.

Leaks most often go undetected until your water bill arrives.

To find a leak within your home:

• Record the numbers on your water meter just before you go to bed.
• Do not use any water during the night.
• Turn off irrigation, icemakers, humidifiers, water softeners and anything else that might use water.
• Read the meter again in the morning.
• If the meter has changed, there is a leak.

If you find a leak in the irrigation system, faucets or toilets, visit the Water Conservation Rebate Programs page of the website to determine if there are any funds available to offset your repairs.

Toilet leaks are due to water from the tank seeping into the toilet bowl. From there, the water goes into the sewer system. If you can hear the toilet running or need to jiggle the handle to get it to stop running after you flush, you have a toilet leak. Sometimes you cannot hear the leak.

To determine if you have a leak, place a dye tablet or several drops of food coloring into the tank and don’t flush the toilet for about a half an hour. If the dye coloring has seeped into the stool from the tank, it is leaking. A common cause of this leak is a deteriorated flapper that needs to be replaced. Local hardware stores carry new flappers which are inexpensive and include installation instructions. If you determine that you need a new toilet, visit the Water Conservation Rebate Programs page of the website to determine if there are any funds available to offset the cost.

This metal object is the access valve for shutting off your property’s water service from the street. Over time, as the ground moves because of frost and settling, the fixture can become covered by soil or will stick up out of the ground. Sometimes when a property is prepared for initial sale, the landscaping is accidentally made to cover the water valve. Many times the water service is installed before the home is built, and the garage is constructed directly in front of this valve, resulting in the driveway passing over the water service valve. The cap which covers this fixture may also get knocked off or broken.

This fixture is a crucial component of your home’s water service. Should you ever experience a major water leak within your house, this valve is what the City will use to prevent your home from flooding. Please do not cover this fixture with landscaping or otherwise bury it so that it cannot be easily found. The City will, at no charge, come out and adjust this fixture to ground level and install a new cap if needed. Contact the Utilities Division at 952-949-8530.

In an average home, flushing the toilet is the largest single use of water. Without counting lawn watering, typical percentages of water use for a family of four are:

• Toilet flushing — 40%
• Bath and Shower — 32%
• Laundry — 14%
• Dish washing — 6%
• Cooking and drinking — 5%
• Bathroom sinks — 3%

Submit the Landscape Watering Exemption Request form.

More information is available at edenprairiemn.gov/LawnWatering.

Your water meter is located inside your house, approximately 1 foot off the basement floor. It is usually on the street-side of the house near your water heater. It could also be in a crawl space or utility room. It is not outside. The meter is on the incoming water pipe that normally comes up through the floor or wall.

The head of the meter is approximately 4 inches in diameter. The water meter will have a cover that flips open to show the face of the meter (pictured at right). Read the eight numbers shown in the dials above “GALLONS,” from left to right.

Property owners are responsible for all water piping located on their property. This includes all the water piping inside the building and the underground water service to the property line.

The City of Eden Prairie is responsible for maintenance of the water meter. If the meter is not working properly, or if you suspect there is a problem with your water meter’s accuracy, please call utility operations at 952-949-8530 to schedule a repair visit. There is no charge to investigate a suspected meter problem.

Between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on week days, contact the Utilities Division at 952-949-8530.

After 3:30 p.m. on week days or on weekends, contact the Police Department at 952-949-6200.

First, make sure that the valves at your water meter were not accidentally turned off.

There may be construction in the area, repairs or an emergency that resulted in the water being shut off.

When a water system repair is scheduled by the City, the Utilities Division sends people door-to-door at least 24 hours in advance of the repair, leaving notices at each address served by the system which will be shut off. If the repair is an emergency, City crews make every effort to contact residents by going door-to-door prior to the shut off.

If you suddenly have no water during a particularly cold snap, you may have frozen pipes. Call the Utilities Division at 952-949-8530 for advice on how to proceed or call the Police Department at 952-949-6200 if the problem occurs after hours.

Do not simply warm the area and leave – frozen pipes are usually broken by the ice inside the pipes and may not leak until they thaw. You may wind up with a flood.

The City performs a coliform bacteria test monthly on both natural springs in Eden Prairie. The test is pass/fail, so the results are only posted if a sample fails, and written notification is posted at the natural spring until there is a passing result.

Learn more about Eden Prairie's natural springs

Not exactly. It is true that all the water that ever was and ever will be is in the Earth’s environment today. It simply changes physical form or is relocated to another place.

The overwhelming majority of the water we withdraw from our drinking water wells winds up on Eden Prairie’s lawns. This irrigation water either soaks into the ground, or evaporates into the sky. The water vapor in the atmosphere eventually comes back to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, hail, etc., but it always falls back to Earth far from where it evaporated into the air.

The water that soaks into the ground will either be absorbed by plants (the grass on your lawn) and ultimately passed into the atmosphere, remain perched within the soil, or will migrate through the soil and into a stream.

Almost all of Eden Prairie’s water that is not used for irrigation finds its way into the sanitary sewer system (between 5- and 8-million gallons of water each day). This water is treated and released into the Minnesota River, ultimately combining with the Mississippi River a few miles away. So in a sense, Eden Prairie’s valuable ground water pumped from wells far beneath the surface of the ground is contributing to the flow of the mighty Mississippi.

Water withdrawn from the City’s 15 water wells is very pristine. It could be safely consumed without treatment of any kind.

Eden Prairie softens the water using a process that bonds the naturally occurring calcium and magnesium in the water to a form of calcium introduced into the water as lime. The lime bonds with the calcium and magnesium to form particles large enough to settle or precipitate out of the water. Calcium is the predominant cause of hardness in water, so this precipitation process results in much softer water.

Minnesota well water also naturally contains a significant amount of dissolved iron. The iron is harmless, but gives the water a bad taste. The lime softening process also removes the dissolved iron from our water, making it very palatable.

Another additive, ferric chloride, is dissolved into the water after softening to enhance the precipitation process by forming “clinging” particles or “floc” that adhere to one another and to particulate matter in the water. Any particles remaining from the softening process are captured in this form of treatment by the clingy floc, and the floc begins sticking to itself until the particles become large enough and heavy enough to settle to the bottom of the treatment basin. The “stickiness” is caused by an electro-chemical bond between the floc and the particulates in the water, similar to when you rub a balloon on your head and stick it to the wall. The particles and the floc in the water move toward one another just as the balloon moves toward the wall.

As the water leaves this process, chlorine is introduced in minute amounts to ensure the water remains free of bacteria in the distribution system.

A chemical called polyphosphate is added to the water to ensure the liquid does not corrode the plumbing in your home. This protects you from lead or copper contamination that could otherwise leach from the pipes within your home.

Carbon dioxide may be used at times in small quantities to keep the water from becoming too basic – another anti-corrosion measure. Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring substance already found in ground water.

Fluoride is an important addition to Eden Prairie’s drinking water. All public water systems are required to ensure that public drinking water contains a very small quantity of fluoride to enhance the prevention of tooth decay.

If you would like more information about Eden Prairie’s water treatment process, please submit an inquiry to the Water Treatment Plant.

Information about Eden Prairie's drinking water and other water-related information is available at edenprairie.org/DrinkingWater.

If you can't find the information you're looking for, contact the Utilities Division at 952-949-8530.