SPRING 2019

THE CURRENT

ERMUMN.COM | 763.441.2020 | 13069 ORONO PARKWAY | PO BOX 430 | ELK RIVER, MN 55330-0430

The Sprinkler Spruce-Up

Spring Hydrant Flushing

As temperatures rise and the thaw continues, it’s important to remember that your irrigation system

is defrosting from a long winter as well. At the start of each sprinkling season, your system needs to

be tuned to ensure it’s working at maximum efficiency. A leak as small as the tip of a pen can waste

6,300 gallons of water per month! ERMU offers a $50 rebate toward the cost of an irrigation tune-up

performed by a professional irrigation contractor. To learn more about ERMU’s rebates or to download

a rebate application, please visit our website.

For year-round maintenance, use these helpful tips:

• INSPECT - Inspect your system for clogged, broken,

or missing sprinkler heads.

• CONNECT - Examine points where the sprinkler

heads connect to pipes/hoses for leaks.

• DIRECT - Direct sprinklers to apply water to only

the landscape.

• SELECT - Select your watering schedule for the

seasons or install a WaterSense controller.

The Water Department will be flushing hydrants May 13-17, and if needed, May 20-24. As we value

communication with our customers, we want you to understand why we do this. Flushing the hydrants

increases the velocity of the water flowing in the main, which creates a scouring action that clears the

hydrants of mineral deposits and sediment. This also allows the Water Department to ensure these

life-saving tools are operating properly.

While your hydrants are being flushed, please refrain

from using water if possible. This will help avoid

drawing discolored water into your home, which

could stain laundry and appliances. If you do see

discolored water coming from your faucet, please run

your cold water for 15-20 minutes. If the discoloration

persists, contact our customer service department.

To view a map with the different zones and days we’ll

be flushing, please visit our website.

We thank you in advance for your patience during

this important maintenance.

OURMISSION

OURVISION

To provide our customers

with safe, reliable, cost-

effective and quality

long-term electric and

water utility services.

To communicate and

educate our customers

in the use of utility

services, programs,

policies and future plans.

These products and

services will be provided

in an environmentally

and financially

responsible manner.

Provide exceptional

services and value to

those we serve.

INTEGRITY

QUALITY

COMMUNICATION

SAFETY

COMPETITIVE

OURVALUES

WE WELCOME YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS: ERMUMN.COM | 763.441.2020

SPRING 2019

THE CURRENT

Call Before You Dig

Wellhead Protection

ERMU would like to remind everyone that even minor landscaping projects like planting a tree can be

dangerous if you don’t know what’s below! With over 20 million miles of underground pipes, cables,

and lines in the United States, calling 811 should be the first step in your project, whether you are

installing a fence, building a deck, or setting up a mailbox.

Digging without calling can disrupt service for your entire neighborhood,

result in fines and repair costs, and can even be harmful. 811 is a free

service that will direct a professional locator to your project site within a

few days to mark the approximate location of your underground utilities.

In the United States, a utility is damaged once every six minutes

because someone decided to dig before knowing it was safe.

Don’t make a judgment call. Call 811.

The Wellhead Protection Plan helps guard your drinking water from pollution by managing potential

sources of contamination. As a part of the plan, ERMU implements best practices to keep our

community’s drinking water safe. This includes investigating potential contamination sources and

educating customers on the role they play.

ERMU customers, along with over one million Minnesotans, get their

drinking water from the Mount Simon-Hinckley Aquifer. The shared

responsibility of ensuring safe, quality drinking water for yourself and

others includes sealing your unused wells. Unused and unsealed wells

act as an entry point for contaminated water, surface water run-off, or

improperly disposed of waste. They are a direct pathway into drinking

water sources, bypassing the soil’s natural treatment and filtering process.

If you have an unused well, you may qualify for assistance in sealing it.

We have joined with the Sherburne Soil & Water Conservation District

(SWCD) to provide a Well Sealing Cost-Share Program. Depending on

whether it is a regular or high-priority well within the Wellhead Protection Area, up to 50 percent

of the eligible costs may be covered (not to exceed $1,000). Those interested in the cost-share

program must have the well sealing pre-approved by ERMU and SWCD. We will not be able to assist

in projects that have already taken place or have been started. For more information or to apply for

cost-share assistance, please visit our website.

2018 ERMU STATISTICS

The new “Pay My Bill”

button on ERMU’s website

has made it easier than ever

to manage your account.

With just one click

customers can access

SmartHub where they’ll

have the opportunity to

view the most up-to-date

information on their

account, schedule one-time

or recurring payments, or

choose to go paperless.

Elk River

Mount Simon-Hinckley Aquifer

April 18, 2019 is National

Lineworker Appreciation

Day! These highly trained

men and women are some

of a community’s first

responders in a disaster.

Like other emergency

service professionals,

lineworkers bravely rush

toward the storm so that

customers maintain service

when it matters most.

What can often be forgotten

is how important lineworkers

are to our daily lives. Their

support provides access

to an essential service that

we all rely on. This day is a

perfect time to thank those

who consistently make that

service possible!

ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT

Energy Sales 331,124,011 kWh

Peak Demand 67 MW

Electric Meters 11,983

Miles of Electric Lines 594 (81% is underground)

WATER DEPARTMENT

Water Sales 732,287,000 gallons

Peak Day Usage 4,772,000 gallons

Customers 5,140

Miles of Water Main 116

THANK A LINEWORKER