Woodbury considers $100 million plant for water-softening system
Oct. 20—Pre-softened water may one day flow through the water mains of Woodbury — ending the need for water softeners in thousands of homes.
At an Oct. 20 city council workshop, officials raised the possibility of building a city-wide water-softening system. "We will be reviewing and discussing the pros and cons," said Assistant Public Works Director Jim Westerman.
The advantages of such a system include saving water, limiting the amount of salt flowing into rivers, and removal of minerals that damage pipes in homes and under city streets.
The disadvantage? A city-wide system would cost about $100 million. Westerman said such a system would require additional sources of funding.
Woodbury is in the process of re-habbing much of its water system. The city recently was given part of a $850 million settlement, paid by the 3M Co. in 2018 to end an environmental-damage lawsuit. 3M manufactured perfluorochemicals for use in domestic products, and traces of the chemicals were found in drinking water in some cities in Washington County.
In Woodbury, the money will pay for an additional city well, a new water filtering station, and filters for 15 out of the city's 19 existing wells.
The 3M money would not pay directly for a water-softening system, but savings might be realized by doing the various projects at the same time.
Water softening is a process used to remove minerals from water. Most water softeners require the addition of salt, which binds with the minerals and is then flushed into city sewer systems.
Woodbury's Westerman said that some home water softeners re-generate twice weekly, and use up to 30 gallons each time. The water savings could be in the tens of millions of gallons per year, he said.
