YOU CAN HELP - PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY’S GROUNDWATER!

Alexandria Light and Power supplies the city of Alexandria with water. The water is pumped from the underground water supply, or aquifer, to a series of wells and then it is treated at the Water Treatment Plant.  Because the water you drink comes from ground water, you will be directly affected by the success or failure of a ground-water protection program. Alexandria Light and Power is a member of the local Wellhead Protection Committee. That committee was formed to help protect our community’s water supply. You can help to protect our valuable ground-water supply from being contaminated.

What kinds of substances can contaminate ground water?
Septic tanks, cesspools, surface impoundments (ponds, lagoons), agricultural activities, landfills, underground storage tanks, abandoned wells and accident and illegal dumping of toxic materials all can contribute to contamination of ground water.

What can you do to help protect our ground water? 

• The way you dispose of products you use at home can contribute to the contamination of Alexandria’s ground water. Products like motor oil, oil filters, old car batteries, pesticides, leftover paint or paint cans, mothballs, flea collars, weed killers, household cleaners and even a number of medications contain materials that can be harmful to groundwater. Don’t put them in the trash or dump them on the ground! See to it that they are disposed of properly by bringing them to Pope Douglas Solid Waste. You can bring any of the items listed to Pope Douglas Solid Waste and they will dispose of them in an environmentally-safe way at no cost to you.

Pope Douglas Solid Waste
2115 South Jefferson Street, Alexandria
Hours: Monday-Friday
8 AM – Noon and 1:00 PM -4:00 PM
www.popedouglasrecycle.com

Wellhead Protection

Wellhead protection is designed to protect public water supply wells. All states are required to have wellhead protection programs under the provisions of the 1986 Amendments to the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) administers the State Wellhead Protection Rule Minnesota Rules, Chapter 4720.5100 - 4720.5590 that sets standards for wellhead protection planning.

In 2002, ALP initiated a Wellhead Protection Plan to help protect Alexandria’s municipal wells from contamination. Alexandria’s Wellhead Protection Team includes ten water experts from the State of Minnesota, Douglas County and the City of Alexandria. The plan addresses the delineations of the capture zones and the vulnerability assessment for existing water supply wells.

ALP, along with the Wellhead Protection Team’s Protection Plan, is committed to on-going inspection, testing and protection of Alexandria’s public water supply. 

The following is a drawing of a geological cross section of Alexandria.