Water Source

Woodbury's water source for domestic consumption is the Jordan aquifer. An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing soil or rock that yields significant amounts of water to wells. Aquifers must be both permeable (allowing water to flow through) and porous (able to absorb) and typically include rock types of sandstone (Jordan aquifer), fractured limestone, and sand and gravel. Woodbury currently operates 19 production wells. Each well is about 400 to 500 feet deep. During construction, a cavity is blasted to create an open space in the rock at the bottom of the well. We then draw our drinking water from the water that seeps or moves through the rock to this cavity. Water in the Jordan aquifer has spent many decades flowing through soil and rock layers to reach our wells. During that period, organisms that might be harmful have died and have been filtered out by the soil and rock layers.

As water moves through the soil and rock, it dissolves some of the minerals. One of those minerals is calcium. Calcium is the major contributor to the hardness in Woodbury's water. Hardness is the measure of dissolved minerals that are in the water. The hardness of the water in Woodbury is approximately 13.5 grains. This is considered hard. See the Water Softening page for more information. 

Woodbury is committed to delivering the safest water possible and for the long-term health of the community. The city regularly samples the water from its wells and provides an annual Water Quality Report to residents. Fluoride is added to the water to allow bodies to build stronger bones and teeth. Chlorine is also added to the water. Chlorine is a disinfectant and assures that no harmful bacteria or organisms can grow in the system and protects the water if any biological contaminants were to find their way into our water. The City of Woodbury operates very precise equipment to add these items to the water and tests the water daily to assure the right amounts of chlorine and fluoride are present throughout the water system. The state requires cities to have .7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water and have detectable chlorine residual at the farthest points in the system.

The amount of water produced daily varies greatly depending on demand. In the winter, wells produce about 4.6 million gallons of water per day. In the summer, that number jumps to 12-18 million gallons per day (see the Conservation page for tips to help minimize the demand on the water system). More than 5900 valves, 3600 fire hydrants, and nearly 318 miles of water main are required to provide water for the home, business and emergency use.

The Utilities Division is funded through charges to Woodbury property owners connected to the city's potable water system. These funds are used for the maintenance, operation, and management of the city's water supply, storage, and distribution system.