By Rich Larson
The Northfield City Council has approved the formation of a new working group that will take a broader look at the quality of the city’s drinking water and provide information for the next City Council to consider.
The move follows last year’s debate over a proposed municipal water treatment plant. In 2025, city staff proposed building a centralized treatment facility, with reducing manganese levels in Northfield’s water among the primary goals. The council ultimately did not approve the proposal, but Mayor Erica Zweifel said the underlying questions about water quality remain.
“We still need to address our water quality and make sure that we have safe drinking water for everyone,” Zweifel said.
The new working group will be led by Bridgewater Township Supervisor Glenn Castore and will include residents with backgrounds in business, geology, chemistry, environmental studies, psychology, medicine and community work. Members include Bill Coles, Carleton College geology professor Chloe Fandel, St. Olaf College professors Paul Jackson and Logan Kokendorfer, Northfield Hospital physician Shannon Lau and former City Councilor George Zuccolotto, who works with the Northfield Union of Youth. The council also discussed adding representation with expertise in areas such as public health, equity and communication.
City Administrator Ben Martig said the group will gather technical information, review previous studies and examine new scientific information. The city also plans broader testing of water at individual properties, including independent testing beyond the point where the municipal system connects with privately owned service lines.
Unlike the previous discussion, the group will not focus solely on manganese. Zweifel said the work will consider a wider range of potential contaminants and emerging concerns, including PFAS, microplastics and nitrates.
Education and communication will also be major parts of the effort, including information about steps residents can take individually as well as the range of centralized treatment options available to the city.
Martig emphasized that the working group will not recommend a specific treatment project, advocate for a particular solution or make policy decisions. Those responsibilities will remain with the City Council.
Instead, the group is expected to complete its work and present its findings in February, providing updated information to a newly seated council that will include three new members. Zweifel described the effort as a bridge between last year’s debate and whatever decisions the next council may ultimately make about Northfield’s drinking water.
Rich Larson is the owner and General Manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
