Edina’s Water Tower Fully Inspected

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By Echo Menges

A two-person inspection team from Klingner & Associates were in Edina on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, to inspect the city’s water tower.

The top-to-bottom inspection encompassed the entire tower, which was conducted by Water Engineer Matt Suhadolc and ROB Operator Will Klingner.

With the assistance of the City of Edina Work Crew, Superintendent of Utilities Joe Dimmit and Wastewater Superintendent Mike Wriedt, the inspection was performed quickly and efficiently using the latest technology to complete the task.

Inside the water tower, the structure was inspected by the Engineer, who climbed to the top.

A mini-submarine equipped with cameras, lights and remote operating equipment was used to inspect the water tank. Inside the tank, the inspector looked at the cleanliness and the condition of the coating.

The mini-submarine saved the City Superintendents the chore of having to drain the tower to allow divers in to inspect the massive 200,000 gallon water tank. Using the mini-submarine also saved Edina water customers any inconvenience of limited water use during the inspection.

“This is the best way we could have done it,” said City Superintendent Joe Dimmit. “Draining that much water from the tank makes everyone nervous.”

“This is nice because we’re not losing any access to water. If there were some type of emergency where water was needed, like a fire, we aren’t sacrificing our ability to have water because of the inspection,” said Wastewater Superintendent Mike Wriedt.

Outside, the tower was inspected using a drone, which flew around and helped the inspector see the outside coating and structure.

Along with the in person inspection of the water tower structure, the drone made it more efficient to look at the condition of the paint and structure high above Edina, which is cumbersome to physically reach.

The report from this water water inspection along with any recommendations from the Water Engineer will be available at the Edina City Council Meeting on Monday, November 8, 2021.

Edina’s nearly 300-foot tall water tower holds up to 200,000 gallons of water, which is distributed to roughly 600 residential and commercial water customers.

The City of Edina buys water wholesale from the Clarence Cannon Wholesale Water Commission, which pipes water from the Mark Twain Lake through the CCWWC facility and to Edina.

Edina customers use over two million gallons of water per month, according to City Clerk Margaret Gibson