Water & Sewer

Protect Your Water Service and Plumbing from Freezing

What to do if your pipes are frozen: 

Call the City of Fridley Public Works Division at 763-572-3566 (6:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., M-F) or Anoka County Dispatch at 763-427-1212 (after hours and weekends). City staff can provide information to you on contractors known to be working in the area thawing frozen services. 

Protect Your In-Home Plumbing 

Insulate pipes 

Consider installing specific products made to insulate water pipes like a pipe sleeve or installing UL-listed heat tape, heat cable or similar materials on exposed pipes. 

Find your water shut-off valve 

Determine where your water shut-off valve is in your house and learn how to use it. For most homes the shut-off valve is located near the water meter at the point where the water line comes into your home, which usually in your basement. 

Protect garage pipes 

If you have plumbing in your garage, keep your garage door closed when it's very cold. Pipes in unheated garages or basements should be insulated. 

Seal your home from winter 

Repair broken windows, check doors and insulate areas that allow cold exterior air to enter. 

Be prepared when traveling 

Leaving during winter? Keep your thermostat set at 60 degrees or higher, and have someone check your house regularly. Running one faucet at a trickle can also help prevent a frozen service and give piece of mind while you are away. 

Winterize outside faucets 

Make sure the water line to outside faucets (such as your garden hose) is turned off, the hoses are disconnected, and the line is drained. 

Protect Your Water Service Line 

Water temperature 

With the water already being this cool as it enters our water distribution system, it takes very little exposure to colder temperatures for it to freeze. That is why it is important to make sure your water service lines are not exposed to colder air during winter months. 

Frost depth 

This is the depth to which the ground is frozen. Water services in Fridley are typically installed at a depth that is not reached by frost, however, during severely cold and long winters, frost depth can reach the depth of your service. This usually occurs in late February or early March. 

In early spring, it may seem warmer, but frost is still deep in the ground and remains until regular overnight temperatures above freezing are reached. During an extended cold winter, the frost depth can exceed seven feet and put service lines at risk. 

If the ground surrounding the service lines becomes frozen, it will cool the already cold water in the pipes and they can freeze. When the water stops moving, the temperature can lower quite quickly and freeze the water. This is why it is important to keep the water running; it keeps warmer water moving through the frost zone. 

If your service line or plumbing are susceptible to frost, let cold water run from one faucet throughout the day and night. The amount of running water should be a little more than a trickle (the thickness of a pencil). The City cannot credit you for the water that you run, but the associated utility charges could be less than the cost to repair or thaw your water service line. You can measure the water being used by timing the filling of a container of a known size. Water and sewer charges that apply are shown here: http://fridleymn.gov/201/Pay-Utility-BillWater-MeterRates. Note that sewer charges may be applied throughout the year. The City recommends running water until April. Even as the weather warms up, the frost table is pushed lower, so the risk of frozen service lines could continue for several weeks. 

Have a sewer stoppage or water main leak? CALL FIRST! The City of Fridley will investigate sewer stoppages and water main leaks.

• Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., call 763-572-3566
• All other times, including holidays, call 763-427-1212

A water and/or sewer permit is needed anytime the repair of a plumbing system is done in a home. The City of Fridley uses an online portal, Citizen Serve, for all licensing and permitting needs. Questions? Call our Engineering Department at 763-572-3554.

Apply for a permit

The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently altered its drinking water standards related to lead and copper. This is called the Lead and Copper Rule Revision. The rule was enhanced to protect property owners by reducing their exposure to lead and copper. Lead can cause serious health problems if too much enters your body.

The drinking water provided to residents from the City of Fridley does not contain lead. However, lead can enter the drinking water from lead service lines and plumbing fixtures made with lead components through the corrosion process. These materials were commonly used before 1986.

Inventory of Water Service Lines

Update on Inventory 

With assistance from its residents and businesses, the City of Fridley completed and submitted our service line materials inventory to the Minnesota Department of Health. The service line inventory is publicly available, and you can check the materials for your service line by visiting the Lead Inventory Tracking Tool (LITT) at https://maps.umn.edu/LSL/. Contact us at web-publicworks@fridleymn.gov or 763-572-3566 if you desire more information about your service.

To complete the service line inventory the City of Fridley collected information submitted from customers via a self-reporting page, inspected services, reviewed construction records, and verified establishment of an ordinance dated 1954 requiring copper service materials. As of 9/24/2024, our inventory contains 0 lead, 1 galvanized requiring replacement, 0 unknown material, and 8,756 non-lead service lines.

Thank you for your participation in our lead service line reporting efforts; if you have not yet reported your service information, you can assist us by doing sounder What We Are Asking of Residents. 

What We Are Asking of Residents

As part of the new requirements, the City of Fridley is required to inventory the water service lines and the type of materials used (lead, galvanized pipe, non-lead or unknown). The water service line is the pipe that connects the residence to the City's watermain in the street.

The City of Fridley will be using different methods to inventory these pipes. Historical records, service line replacements, physical inspections, and the help from residents via an online – mobile application.

What do you need to do?

1. Locate your water service line in the lower level of your home. An example of the line is show in the slideshow below.
2. Fill out a quick inventory form online.
3. If you can’t locate your service line or need assistance identifying the pipe material, please do not hesitate to contact us at 763-572-3566. The City will come to your residence at no charge and assist in identifying your service line material.

The City is responsible for flushing its water mains through the fire hydrants in the spring and fall. Residents are encouraged to flush their water heaters each year after the spring water main flushing program has been completed.

Hydrant Flushing

Twice a year (spring and fall), the City of Fridley flushes out its water mains through the fire hydrants. The purpose of flushing the water lines is to clear the water mains of small amounts of sediment like iron or manganese that settles in water mains over time. We also verify that the hydrants are in good working order.

After flushing of the City's mains is completed, we suggest that you flush your hot water heater, which can accumulate sediment over time.

During flushing, deposits from water lines may create a yellowish to brownish discoloration of water in homes near flushing areas. While this water is safe for drinking, it may discolor laundry. If this discoloration last longer than two days, residents are asked to call the City's Public Works Department at (763) 572-3566. Resident may also call Public Works to get current flushing locations and updated information.

Water Heater Flushing

Each year after the spring water main flushing program has been completed, we suggest residents flush their hot water heaters. Many types of sediment such as iron, magnesium and calcium may build up in the bottom of your hot water heater, causing discoloration or rust in the hot water taps. (Calcium appears as sand particles in the hot water system.) In most cases, flushing the hot water heaters can eliminate this. Listed below is a simple procedure you can follow to flush your hot water heater:

1. Turn the water off at the water meter.
2. Turn gas heaters down to “pilot” or electric heaters to the “off” position.
3. Hook up a water hose to the tank drain outlet at the bottom of the water heater and place the other end of the hose by the floor drain.
4. Open a hot water tap at the laundry tub to allow air into the hot water pipes.
5. Open the hot water heater faucet and allow tank to drain completely.
6. Once the tank has drained, turn the water back on by the meter. Let the tank fill until the water begins flowing out of the hose at the drain.
7. Allow the water to flow through the tank for 2 to 3 minutes, then shut the water off at the meter and allow the tank to drain out completely once again.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until water flows clean at the drain.
9. Once the water flows clean again, shut the drain faucet off at the bottom of the hot water tank and remove the hose.
10. Turn the gas or electric heater controls back to the “normal” or “on” positions. Also be sure to turn the water back on at the meter to allow refilling of the tank and proper operation of your water system throughout your residence.
11. Open all hot water taps throughout the residence to flush out all sedimentation that may have become agitated throughout the hot water pipes during the tank flushing. Close all taps as the water flow clears.

By following these steps, not only will the hot water tank be cleaned out, but also the heater will run more efficiently and help conserve energy.

The main responsibility of the sewer division is to maintain the City's sewage lift stations and sanitary sewer lines.

Residents are requested to call the public works department when they have roots removed from the lines between the house and the street (their private sewer line). These roots often will cause problems for neighbors down stream.

The city has the latest technology to control both the water and sewer systems. They are monitored by a master computer which has alarms to alert us quickly to any problems that may arise. This allows us to act promptly to correct or repair these problems.

The Public Works Department is responsible for maintaining the flow of water through ditches receiving storm water runoff from City maintained streets. City crews periodically clean the banks of the drainage ditches and remove any obstacles obstructing the flow of water through the ditch.

Citizens are reminded that drainage ditches are not for trash disposal. Debris such as leaves, grass cuttings, and tree limbs should not be thrown into drainage ditches.

If the drainage ditch near you needs maintenance, call the Public Works Department at 763-572-3566 between 7:00 am and 3:30 pm Monday through Friday.

The Sewer Division maintains the City's extensive storm drainage system. As there are nearly 1,500 storm sewer catch basins throughout the City, your assistance in helping to keep them free of debris is appreciated. If you will clear the catch basins of leaves and twigs, this will result in continued flow, and reduce the threat of flooding and property damage. If you have a clogged catch basin on your street that needs cleaning, call 763-572-3566 between 7:00 am and 3:30 pm Monday through Friday.

Residents should make every effort to ensure lawn cuttings, leaves or other materials are not placed in the street as those materials are washed into the curb drainage system and eventually accumulate and block the storm sewer catch basins, resulting in street flooding and property damage.

Residents should be careful not to allow pollutants such as oil or paint to enter the storm drainage system, as all materials entering the collection system end up in area creeks, lakes or the Mississippi River.

The City of Fridley's stormwater system is a small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permitted through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. A Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) outlines the activities that the City undertakes as part of this permit. These activities are intended to promote maintenance of water quality to the waters that the City of Fridley's stormwater system discharges to.

More information on stormwater can be found at the following links:

• EPA Storm Water Web Site
• MPCA Storm Water Web Site

The City of Fridley maintains the stormsewer system that routes water that enters through storm drains and is conveyed by pipe to a downstream body of water. We work to prevent stormwater pollution by educating residents on how they can help through the use of rain gardens and other best practices, as well as the City creating stormwater management systems throughout our community.

Learn more about stormwater