Unused wells remain to be an issue that threatens Anoka County's groundwater resources. ACD's current CWF grant expires at the end of this year but the district has applied for another round of funding to continue the well sealing cost-share program. Through administering the last grant, ACD developed working relationships with licensed well sealers and partnerships with neighboring cities to advertise the program. ACD's goal is to build on previous successes, ensuring ongoing protection of Anoka County's groundwater resources. By focusing on high-priority wells, providing financial incentives, and leveraging existing outreach efforts, the well sealing program will mitigate groundwater contamination risks and enhance public health and safety in Anoka County in a cost effective way. For more information contact Kris Larson,Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Indoors look for:

• Glass block or concrete patch in an exterior step.
• Wells are often housed in a small room in the basement, many times under exterior concrete steps.
• Pipe sticking up out of the floor in your basement, or a concrete patch in the floor where the well was located. 

• Low spot or sunken area in the ground.
• Metal, wood, or concrete cover or manhole.
• Areas that stay wet can be caused by an unsealed flowing well.
• An old shed or well house, or an old pump.
• Dug wells typically appear as a ring anywhere from 1 foot or several feet in diameter, made of concrete, tile, bricks, or rocks.
• Pipes above, at, or below the surface may indicate a well.

ACD has been awarded additional funding through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for septic system repair or replacement. Grants are currently available to homeowners to help fix non-compliant septic systems. Septic systems are the underground tank and drain field that treat wastewater from homes that are not connected to city sewer and water. Grants recipients must meet low income criteria and other requirements listed below.

A non-compliant septic system is a problem for homeowners, an obstacle when selling the property, and a major pollutant threat facing our waterways. Failure in a SSTS system can be dramatic, such as visible sewage back up. Or a septic system can be deemed non-compliant for a more hidden reason, such as the system does not have enough vertical separation from the water table. When a system is certified as non-compliant it represents a direct threat to groundwater, public health, or both. The proximity of a failing septic system to nearby lakes and streams is also considered when awarding grants. 

For more information, visit www.AnokaSWCD.org/financial-technical-assistance.html or contact Kris Larson, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Anoka Conservation District is requesting an increase in funding from Anoka County to add a Groundwater Specialist to our staff in 2024. Groundwater is arguably the most critical natural resource in Anoka County as it is used for all household and commercial needs including consumption by 94% of those living, working and playing in Anoka County. Whether through private wells or municipal water supplies that draw from groundwater, Anoka County residents expect their faucets to run with clean plentiful water. Despite this, there isn't a single public employee in Anoka County that is dedicated full-time to being the 'go to' person for groundwater. We'd like to change that, and by doing so, make sure a vital resource that is out of sight, doesn't remain out of mind.

2022 brought groundwater into the spotlight in several ways, both locally and nationally

• Drinking water contamination in Andover neighborhoods near the closed Waste Disposal Engineering Landfill hit the front page. This problem remains under investigation and unresolved for many residents.

• Nearly 50 private wells in Blaine and Ham Lake went dry due to interference from municipal well pumping in the City of Blaine.
  

• Multiple train derailments across the country exposed the vulnerability of drinking water to contamination by spills. Anoka County, with high water tables and sandy soils has an exceptionally vulnerable groundwater resource and so, more than other areas, Anoka County must be prepared to respond quickly to spills.

• Bottled water companies continue to pursue permits to withdraw Minnesota groundwater and ship it out of state for sale.

• Drought led to record low water levels throughout the county, which stretched surficial groundwater and baseflow very thin, compromising navigation, water supply, recreation, and habitat for fish and wildlife.

• Private wells exceeding contaminant thresholds for common pollutants such as nitrates and bacteria is on the rise throughout the state. 

Unlike city water, water from private wells is not tested unless the homeowner tests it, which all are encouraged to do. To make it easy, Anoka County Public Health and Environmental Services Department offers testing. The homeowner collects the sample and delivers it to the government center in Anoka. Test kits can be picked up at most city halls. Costs are about $17 for each contaminant, with nitrates and coliform bacteria as the usual minimums to test. 

For more information see www.anokacounty.us/water.  

The Metropolitan Conservation Districts (MCD), through funding provided by a Clean Water Fund Accelerated Implementation Grant, created the Campus Groundwater Conservation Planning (CGCP) protocol with the ultimate goal of water conservation project implementation. ACD served as the host district and led protocol development, provided staff training, conducted final report reviews for all 11 Metro counties, and prepared a final report summarizing all completed analyses.

The CGCP protocol provides a detailed analysis of all water using systems on a campus, both indoor and outdoor, and can be implemented by Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) staff throughout the state to produce prioritized lists of water conservation project opportunities. The straightforward work products produced by the CGCP protocol empower campus decision makers to confidently implement cost-effective water conservation projects.

Throughout the 11-county Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA), the CGCP protocol was implemented on 21 campuses with at least one analysis occurring in each county (see map below).Initial outreach efforts to campuses were prioritized based on campus age, with older campuses having a higher likelihood of inefficient fixtures, and selected campuses were required to be publicly owned and use groundwater as a water source.

Cumulatively, the 21 analyses identified significant opportunities for conserving groundwater and saving money. Potential projects from all campuses were compiled, and a total of 2,043 potential projects were identified that would cumulatively save over 113 million gallons over the estimated life of the projects, which averaged 8.4 years. However, not all 2,043 of the projects were financially favorable because the required payback period of some projects exceeds the project's lifespan.

There were 1,182 projects with a positive net financial savings (i.e. the payback periods for the projects are shorter than the estimated lifespan of the projects, so implementation results in a net financial savings) that cumulatively reduce water use by over 101 million gallons over the estimated lifespan of the projects, which averaged 8.6 years. Implementing all 1,182 projects would cost approximately $250,000, but the net savings over the life of the projects is over $485,000.

Nearly 200 of the projects had estimated payback periods of less than one year. Implementation of these projects would save over 15 million gallons of water over the estimated lifespan of the projects and requires an investment of just over $7,500.That initial investment is recouped within the first year, and over the lifespan of the projects, an additional $100,000 would be saved in water and energy costs.

Within Anoka County, Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Coon Rapids and Anoka High School in Anoka were both analyzed. Implementation of the 486 projects identified would cost approximately $100,000 and provide a net savings of over $135,000 over the lifespan of the projects. The total water savings over the life of the projects is estimated to be over 43 million gallons. The detailed reports are available on ACD's website.