The City of Hastings invites residents to attend a public open house on the topic of permanent water disinfection, specifically gas chlorination. The Open House will be hosted at City Hall on Thursday, April 4, 2019 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the second floor Community Room.City staff and representatives from the Minnesota Department of Health will be on hand to answer residents? questions on specific topics and concerns in a one-on-one format. A formal presentation will take place at 6:30 p.m. and will highlight the history of the water emergency that took place on September 22, 2018, results of a comprehensive water disinfection study, and the resulting staff recommendation to proceed with permanent chlorination.Residents who are unable to attend in person, can participate from home by watching a live-stream of the event on Facebook. To participate, search for @cityhastingsmn on Facebook. Comments and questions will be reviewed and answered by city staff both during and after the presentation.
Following the public open house and receiving public input, city staff is expected to bring a final recommendation to the Hastings City Council for approval. Currently, city staff is recommending the gas chlorination method of permanent water disinfection. This method is widely used and highly effective at protecting against a wide array of microbiological threats throughout the system. The method provides a constant concentration of chlorine, which will help to minimize variations in taste and odor. Historical safety and financial impact were major deciding factors as Hastings is one of only three communities in Minnesota with a population larger than 10,000 that had not previously provided permanent water disinfection. In a survey of neighboring cities, all cities have provided disinfection since the 1990?s, with many having started as early as the 1930?s.
More information, including the comprehensive water disinfection report, is available on the city website at https://www.hastingsmn.gov/residents/water-advisory-event-recap/chlorination-in-city-water-system
