The Minnesota Senate Capital Investment Committee recently visited the Joint Powers Water Board’s regional water treatment facility project in Albertville as part of the committee’s 2025 statewide bonding tour. The proposed project is seeking $10 million of state funding help upgrade a 25-year-old treatment plant that serves more than 32,000 residents in Albertville, Hanover, and St. Michael.

“The ability to deliver clean, safe drinking water is a fundamental expectation people have in government,” Senator Eric Lucero (R, St. Michael) said. “The cities of Albertville, St. Michael, and Hanover worked together to develop a great plan and I’ve chief authored Senate File 2138 to appropriate funds toward the project. I appreciate the Bonding Committee taking the time to visit and see firsthand how important this project is for families and businesses in our area.”

The Joint Powers Water Board’s project would replace outdated treatment systems to remove high levels of manganese and radium found in the groundwater. Current tests show manganese levels up to fifteen times higher than the state’s safe limit for infants and five times higher for adults. The project would add new filtration and dewatering systems, expand plant capacity from 9.8 to 15.1 million gallons per day, and improve site access, laboratory space, chemical storage, and cybersecurity protections.

These improvements will help maintain water quality and reliability for one of the fastest-growing areas in Wright County. The cities have already covered land and design costs and will pay for all future operations and maintenance through local utility fees. The project is ready for final design in early 2026, with construction planned to begin that summer.

Sen. Lucero said the visit highlighted the kind of project that should be the focus of state bonding dollars. Too often bonding bills are overloaded with wasteful or unnecessary extravagances aimed at buying votes instead focusing on core needs.

“I have always tried to be extremely careful about how Minnesotans’ tax dollars are spent,” Sen. Lucero said. “As a bonding bill is considered in 2026, I will continue emphasizing infrastructure and water project needs like the regional water treatment proposal for our community.”

Photo attachment: Sen. Lucero joins city staff during the Senate Capital Investment Committee visit of the water treatment facility in Albertville.

 

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