Seasons The Greening of Maplewood
Winter 2015
photo: Myra Smisek
Beyond the Faucet
to 100 gallons of water for domestic uses including water for drinking, preparing food, washing clothes and dishes, showering, flushing toilets, watering lawns, and washing cars.
Access to clean water in our area is easy, just turn on the faucet! But when you look beyond the faucet you see a network of conduits, pumps, and treatment facilities that make this possible. In the Twin Cities we have a multitude of water resources including 950 lakes, three major river systems (Mississippi, Minnesota, and St. Croix), and the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer. But there are pressures on our water resources – a growing population, more business and industry, and a changing environment.
In the Twin Cities, 75% of domestic water comes from aquifers (groundwater). The Metropolitan Council’s Master Water Supply Plan predicts that under a business-as-usual scenario, water levels in the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer will drop 5 to 20 feet in the metro area by 2030. Some lake levels are being affected by this consumption. Most notable is White Bear Lake where groundwater pumping is contributing to the lowering of the lake. The remaining 25% of domestic water in the Twin Cities comes from surface sources, such as the Mississippi River.
By Shann Finwall, Environmental Planner
The average daily U.S. total water use is 355 billion gallons. Of this, 45% is used for energy production, 33% for irrigation of farmland and recreational areas, and 22% for households and businesses. Coal-fired power plants, which produce almost half of the country’s electricity, use water to extract and wash coal, cool steam, and control pollution from the plant. In western states, the average annual precipitation is typically less than 20 inches. This is insufficient to support crops without supplemental water. Every day each person in the U.S. uses 88
A majority of Maplewood’s households and businesses get their water through St. Paul Regional Water Services (SPRWS) whose main source of water comes from the Mississippi River. About 1,000 households and businesses get their water from adjacent cities including North St. Paul, Little Canada, Roseville, and Woodbury. Some of these cities use groundwater as their water source. In addition, there are approximately 200 households that still get their water from private wells.
SPRWS delivers water to residents and businesses in a 122.8 square mile area that includes St. Paul and eleven suburbs, including Maplewood. There are 1,119 miles of water main systems serving 416,879 people with an average daily water use of 45 million gallons. About 80% of the water distributed by SPRWS comes from the Mississippi River, traveling through a chain of lakes, including Charles, Pleasant, Sucker, and Vadnais, before reaching the treatment plant located in Maplewood. Groundwater from ten deep wells provides supplemental water to the system. We can mitigate for future water challenges by changing our land use and water management approach. One way Maplewood is taking action is through our sustainable turf policy, with thoughtful decisions about the use of irrigation in City parks and landscapes (page 3). You can help too by implementing water-saving steps for your water use (page 3). In order to maintain an adequate and clean water supply, we must look beyond the faucet. This is essential for the future of our region’s growth and livability. Resources: St. Paul Regional Water Services, U.S. Geological Survey, Environmental Protection Agency, MN Department of Natural Resources, Metropolitan Council
Pressures on our Water Resources
Changes in Climate
Growing Population and Increased Business/Industry
Impacts of Groundwater Pumping
Water Quality
Tap vs. Bottled Water Chris Swanson, Environmental Specialist
Only one out of every five plastic water bottles is recycled worldwide.
The consumption of bottled water has grown over the last decade. A 2014 study from the International Bottled Water Association shows that Americans consumed 10.9 billion gallons of bottled water during that year – 34.2 gallons for every man, woman, and child in the country. That consumption has a cost, both in terms of money and resources. Did you know that most bottled water is just tap water run through a secondary filter and placed in a container? The container and packaging increases the cost of bottled water. It is hundreds, if not thousands of times more expensive than tap water if measured by the quantity of water purchased. That doesn’t take into account the cost in terms of carbon emissions from manufacturing and transporting the bottles. If you account for all the energy used in manufacturing and transportation, the energy cost per unit of water
can be over 2,000 times that of tap water. Even after the water has been consumed there is still a cost associated with the leftover bottle. Only one out of every five plastic water bottles is recycled worldwide. That equates to a staggering amount of waste – annually over 3 billion pounds of waste worldwide comes directly from water bottles! What can we do? Plan your activities and use reusable water bottles. Maplewood has retrofitted All drinking fountains at the MCC have been retrofitted all drinking fountains at the with water bottle spigots. Maplewood Community Center with water bottle spigots. When you visit, bring your own bottle and fill it up, or purchase an attractive and convenient Maplewood Community Center water bottle. Present this coupon at the Maplewood Community Center (2100 White Bear Avenue) and receive $2 OFF a Maplewood Community Center water bottle, normally priced at $3.50. Expires 3/1/16
History of Water Service
Chris Swanson, Environmental Specialist In St. Paul’s early years, water was provided by wells and door-todoor water salesmen who sold their wares by barrel - far different than the pumping stations, reservoirs, and meters that make up water service today. In 1856, in response to the growing population and fire danger from wood construction practices, the Legislature authorized a franchised municipal water system and established the St. Paul Water Company. In 1869, the first large scale water project was completed with the construction of a pump and intake at Lake Phalen. In 1882, St. Paul purchased the water company, renamed it the St. Paul Regional Water Services, and established the Board of Water Commissions to act as the managing body. Attempts to improve the water quality began in 1914 with the use of copper sulphate to remove algae. In 1917 large revolving screens were installed and chlorine disinfection was added. As the population in the area increased there was a need to add water to the system. One proposal was to run a pipe 100 miles from Mille Lacs Lake to the cities, but that was rejected after looking at the price of construction. It was finally determined that piping water from the Mississippi River was the easiest option. McCarrons Water Treatment Plant, just east of Rice Street in
Seasons 2
McCarrons Water Plant, 1900 Rice Street, Maplewood
Maplewood, was built in 1920 with operations beginning in 1923 to provide clarification, filtration, and disinfection to the water supply. In 1941, the plant was expanded to include a lime processing facility to provide water softening in addition to purification. More recent improvements include a granular activated carbon and biologically active filtering system that address the main causes of taste and odor issues. SPRWS consistently meets all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Minnesota Department of Health regulations governing drinking water.
How Much Water Does It Take?
Many people are surprised to learn that the toilet is the biggest use of household water, followed by baths and showers. Below are some typical amounts of water used for domestic activities. Note how newer water-efficient fixtures or appliances can dramatically decrease the amount of water used. Toilet: 1.6 gallons/flush, newer models 3-4 gallons/flush, older models Bath: 36 gallons for a full tub Shower: 2 gallons/minute with low-flow shower head 5 gallons/minute with old-style shower head Hand washing: 1 gallon Dishwasher: 6 gallons for Energy Star appliances 16 gallons for older models Clothes washer: 25 gallons for newer models (less for front-loaded) 40 gallons for older models Outdoor watering: 2 gallons per minute Data from US Geological Service
To Irrigate or Not
Ginny Gaynor, Natural Resources Coordinator The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that landscape irrigation accounts for nearly one-third of all residential water use. Maplewood has made thoughtful decisions about the use of irrigation in City parks and landscapes. In 2010, the City adopted a sustainable turf policy. This classifies lawn areas on City property according to use. Maintenance is adjusted to that use. In Maplewood parks, only high quality sports fields are irrigated. Watering is necessary on athletic fields to ensure healthy turf throughout the playing season. Of the City’s 930 acres of park and preserve land about 18.5 acres, or a little over 2%, are irrigated. This includes three fields at Goodrich Park, one field at Flicek Park, four fields at Edgerton Park, and five of the six fields at Hazelwood Park. In addition, a small area of City Hall Campus has irrigation. In Maplewood, only the high quality sports fields are irrigated.
“We don’t water unless we need to,” explains Park Manager Jim Taylor. “2015 was a very rainy spring and early summer. Our crews didn’t turn the irrigation on until the first week of July. We irrigated in July and then shut it down from late July on.” With over 75 gardens or plantings on City land, drought-tolerant, no-fuss plants are a must. Many City plantings rely on deep-rooted native plants that don’t need watering, but the City also uses many drought-tolerant non-native plants. Annuals, hanging baskets, and decorative pots of flowers require frequent watering so the City uses these very sparingly – just for a splash of color at the City Hall and Community Center entrances.
Water Saving Tips Jan Hayman, Naturalist
A faucet dripping one drop of water per second wastes nearly nine gallons of water per day.
Water use is a personal choice and we can all save more. Make a difference with any of these water-saving steps: Check water bills for higher than normal usage: • Fix leaky faucets. • Check toilets for leaks. Put several drops of food coloring into the tank. If color seeps into the bowl, there’s a leak. • Check your water meter to see if it indicates a leak. Many meters have an icon that appears if there is continual water flow, indicating there’s likely a leak. Instead of running tap water: • Turn the tap on and off while brushing teeth and washing hands. • Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator. • Run full loads in the dishwasher to use less water than when washing dishes by hand. Rinsing plates is not needed with newer washers. • When you need to run water to reach a desired temperature, collect it for other uses, such as watering houseplants. In the yard and garden: • Adopt sustainable lawn care practices such as mowing high. This encourages deeper root growth and requires less watering. • Transition some of your yard to drought-tolerant shrubs and perennials. • If you irrigate, consider upgrading to an efficient system that senses soil moisture. These tips can be summed up in a few words - use only what you need!
Seasons 3
Water Wonders
By Jan Hayman, Naturalist Water is an amazing substance. It can be as exquisite as snow crystals, as gentle as rain, or as treacherous as black ice and floating icebergs. Water takes many forms from rain and fog, to frost and snowflakes, to ice cubes and glaciers. Water is the only natural substance that can exist in all three states of matter (liquid, solid, and gas) at the normal range of temperatures found on Earth. Liquid water nourishes all living things on land and in water, sustaining life in the oceans, streams, lakes, and wetlands. Water vapor is the gaseous form of water present in the atmosphere. Solid water or ice is formed at freezing temperatures on Earth and as ice crystals in clouds. The beauty of snowflakes derives from their perfect symmetry. Starting out as hexagonal ice crystals in clouds of supercooled water, they pass through varying conditions of temperature, humidity, and air pressure during their descent to earth. These varying conditions ensure that no two snowflakes are alike. Unlike other substances, water molecules expand about 8% when freezing, thus making ice less dense than liquid water. Without this property lakes would freeze solid. There would be no ice fishing! Rest assured while you walk, skate, or fish on ice-covered lakes, that the fish, turtles, and other life beneath the icy shield are protected from winter temperature extremes.
Water and light magically converge to make rainbows. Each raindrop acts as a tiny prism that disperses the light and reflects it back to your eye.
One of the best things about water is that it’s recycled. From earliest time, water has renewed itself through the cycle of evaporation, condensation, and rain and snow. But that’s not all: water recycles through living beings throughout time. The water you drink may have once resided in a dinosaur, in an exotic Amazonian fern, or even in Cleopatra! While water is a renewable resource, it is vulnerable to contamination and waste. Our way of life is dependent on clean drinking water, plentiful water for recreation, for food and energy production, and healthy native ecosystems.
Snowflake Investigation!
By Oakley Biesanz, Naturalist
Plates
Needles
Low humidity
High humidity, about 21ºF
Stellars (stars) High humidity, about 5ºF
Columns
Low humidity, about 21ºF
Learn about different snowflake shapes. Then go outside, look carefully, and tell your friends all about it! Match the descriptions to the snowflake picture:
1.__________
2.___________
12-branched Two sixsided snow flakes collide.
3._________
4._________
Rimed
Snow crystals covered with frozen blobs of water.
5._________ Answers: 1. Column 2. Stellar 3. Needle 4. Rimed 5. Plate 6. 12-branched
Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper
6. __ -________ Seasons 4