Water Treatment Plant Projects

The City of Hastings is moving forward with plans to remove PFAS from its drinking water through a system of decentralized water treatment plants.

What's the Plan?

• A total of three water treatment plants will be built across the City. 
• Each plan will connect to the existing city water system through new underground piping.
• Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filters will remove PFAS from the water.
• Ion Exchange (IX) technology will also be used to reduce nitrate levels in our groundwater.
• A new connection will be made to the Minnesota Veterans Home, which currently uses its own private water system. This will provide the facility with treated, safe municipal water.

Estimated Project Cost

• The total cost to design and build the system is $68.9 million.
• Funding will come from a combination of:
• 3M Settlement funds
• Low-interest loans
• State funding: The City received $17.5 million in bonding funds in the 2026 State Legislative Session.
• State grants: Hastings is on the State’s Project Priority List and received $5 million for the Central Water Treatment Plant, expecting award for $5 million on the Eastern Water Treatment Plant, and have applied for $5 million toward the Western Water Treatment Plant.
• Federal funding: The City has also applied for available federal funding opportunities.
• MPCA grant: The City received a $3.2 million planning and design grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
• City Water rates: The City has increased water rates by 10% three times: January 2025, July 2025 and January 2026. Bases on current projections, additional increases are anticipated in the coming years:

  2027: 13%
  2028: 15%
  2029: 13%

  These projected increases are based on the City’s current financial and water system needs and may change as conditions and costs are updated.

Current Project

The Central Water Treatment Plant (WTP) is being constructed at 1290 North Frontage Road, which is next to the existing Nitrate Treatment Plant and Ground Storage Reservoir owned by the City. Start-up of the Central WTP is planned for January 2027 with final completion in Spring 2027. The contractor is Magney Construction. 

The Central WTP will remove PFAS from Wells 3, 5 and 7. The location of Well 7 (9th Street and Ashland Street) requires a raw watermain to be extended from Well 7 to the Central WTP. This project was constructed and completed by a different contractor, A-1 Excavating. 

The construction of the new Central PFAS Water Treatment Plant and water lines started summer 2025.