Treatment Plant Tours

Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) operates the regional wastewater collection and treatment system that serves 105 communities in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area.

Every day MCES’s seven treatment plants treat approximately 260 million gallons of wastewater to protect the public health and environment.

Several of our treatment plants offer a limited number of tours each month to show the general public how the water they use from nature is cleaned and safely returned to the environment.

Visitors see the various ways pollutants are removed from wastewater--replicating nature’s own processes, but in a much-condensed time frame. They also may see how wastewater solids are processed so that they can be beneficially re-used, and how energy is recovered along the way to power MCES treatment plants.

General Information

Tours are free.
Tours are available at regular times and dates.
Reservations must be made at least 4-5 weeks in advance, and are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tours are about 90-120 minutes long, beginning with an orientation video and ending with a question-and-answer period.

The age minimum for tour participants is seventh-grade.
The minimum group size is 10 people; maximum is 30. Larger groups will be considered based on staff availability. There should be one teacher/chaperone for every 10 students.
Tours guides are the employees who operate and manage the plants. They provide a thorough, step-by-step explanation of wastewater treatment.

Scheduling a Tour

Contact Linda Henning via email or phone: at 651-602-1279 with the following information:

Contact name and phone number
Company or organization name and phone number
Mailing and e-mail addresses
Requested date, time and treatment plant
Number of visitors and teachers/chaperones

If we're able to accommodate your tour request, we'll send you a confirmation letter, our Plant Tour Safety and Security Rules, and additional information.