When Linda Mullen took over as water superintendent in Burnsville in 2007, the city was in the process of adding surface‐water treatment to its existing plant. Burnsville began purchasing water from the nearby Kraemer Mining and Materials quarry, both to supplement its supply and to help the quarry meet discharge permits. The surface‐water system went on‐line the following summer, during one of the worst years in recent history for algae blooms. “Don’t ever put a surface‐water system on‐line in July,” Mullen said, recalling the number of phone calls the utility received because of taste‐and‐odor issues.
However, the surface-water system operated well along with the groundwater plant that has been in place since 1976. Within a few years,another major project loomed when the city began a facilities plan. For the water portion of it, Black & Veatch of Bloomington, Minnesota, explored needs and evaluated options. Upgrades for the utility’s chlorine system stood out