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.

No. We are fortunate that our groundwater supply is very consistent from year-to-year. Minor variations in groundwater hardness is compensated by chemistry corrections in the City’s Water Treatment Plant, resulting in the same water quality day-after-day and year-after-year.

No. Lime is a form of calcium carbonate when introduced into drinking water combines with the calcium already dissolved in the water, resulting in both the lime and the dissolved calcium precipitating out (think of it as settling to the bottom of the container). This precipitation process removes more calcium from the water than was introduced in the form of lime, and results in drinking water with just a fraction of the original hardness (calcium).

No. There is no lime in Eden Prairie’s tap water, which contains a fraction of the calcium hardness found in well water pumped out of the ground. This small amount of calcium can accumulate on surfaces which are repeatedly wet and allowed to air-dry. The evaporating water leaves behind any dissolved minerals, including the remaining 5 grains of calcium hardness. In some cases, the white crusty material could be corrosion from the fixture.

Commercial manufacturing, industrial cooling systems or medical treatment facilities may have requirements for water with less than 7 milligrams per liter of hardness, which requires post-treating the water.

Residential use of softeners is more subjective and based solely on personal preference.

High concentrations of hardness, such as what occurs naturally in Minnesota’s ground water, causes calcium precipitation in pipes, water heaters, boilers, dishwashers, coffee makers, etc. Hard water also react with soaps to form soap scum and can limit the amount of lather produced by laundry soap and shampoo. Untreated well water can cause long-term maintenance problems for plumbing and heating fixtures.

Eden Prairie Water Treatment Plant reduces the naturally occurring hardness in ground water from 385 milligrams per liter (23 grains) to 90 milligrams per liter (5.25 grains). 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.

Hard water is not regulated for public drinking water; there is no evidence that hardness in water has any negative effect on human health. Some studies suggest the minerals which cause hardness in water can be beneficial to human health. Hard water is considered more of a nuisance condition.

Any calcium buildup on shower heads, faucets and other fixtures can be mitigated through routine cleaning with vinegar, or a commercial calcium, lime and rust remover product.

• For those on a sodium-restricted diet, the consumption of water treated in an ion-exchange softener using salt is not recommended.
• Softened water may contain metals. The ion-exchange softening process used in household water softeners can make water more corrosive to household plumbing. Corrosive water can pick up lead, copper and other metals from pipes, faucets and soldered joints. It is recommended that water treated in a home water softener be calibrated to provide a minimum of 50 milligrams per liter (3 grains) of hardness to avoid leaching of heavy metals.
• Use of water softened with salt is not recommended for watering houseplants or irrigation as the sodium content may diminish the health of plants or kill them.
• Sewage treatment plants may not have the ability to remove all of the added sodium from water discharged by water softeners before it is released into the environment. This increases public wastewater treatment costs and reduces the potential for reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation and industrial purposes.
• Salt is water soluble and can move into our lakes, streams, ponds and groundwater after being released into the environment. Because salt still remains in wastewater after it has been treated at a public wastewater treatment facility, it is discharged into a stream or river and accumulates in those receiving waters. Salt (also referred to as chlorides) has been shown to harm aquatic life and damage crops. Chlorides also build up in soil which disrupts the biochemical balance of the soil, adversely affecting crop productivity and plant growth.

The black substance is likely a form of bacteria which is encouraged by a wet, warm environment. Routinely cleaning these areas with chlorine bleach kills the germs and eliminates the bacteria.

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. At times, Eden Prairie’s well water can be as hard as 385 milligrams per liter (23 grains).

The water delivered to Eden Prairie residents and businesses is softened as much as possible without making it corrosive to water pipes. 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 most of the calcium hardness from the water, as well as iron and manganese common in Minnesota water supplies, achieving the results you would expect in other communities from a home softener.

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.

The pink discoloration is the result of an airborne bacteria called Serratia marcescens. It is commonly found naturally in soil, on food and in the air. It can often be seen at the water line in toilets, dog dishes and other perpetually wet areas. The best remedy and prevention of the bacteria is periodic cleaning with chlorine bleach.

Water hardness is the amount of dissolved calcium, magnesium and other minerals in your tap water. Hard water is high in dissolved minerals and is typically measured in grains of hardness. Minerals from untreated hard water can build up in pipes, reducing the flow and producing flakes on water fixtures.

Contact Eden Prairie Water Treatment Plant

Minnesota Department of Health

Water Quality Association

Hardness and resulting calcium deposits can be further reduced through the use of a home water softener. However, use of a water softener is not necessary in Eden Prairie to prevent damage to pipes or appliances.

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.

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.