Treatment Plant Tours

Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES), an operating division of the Metropolitan Council, operates the regional wastewater collection and treatment system that serves some 2.5 million people in 103 communities in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Each day, MCES’s eight treatment plants combined treat approximately 300 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 we remove pollutants from wastewater – replicating nature’s own processes, but in a much-condensed time frame. They also may see how we process most of the wastewater solids so they can be beneficially re-used, and how we recover energy along the way to power our plants.

General Information:

Tours are conducted by the employees who operate and manage our plants. They provide you a thorough, step-by-step explanation of wastewater treatment.

Tours are available at regular times and dates; for schedule information contact Linda Henning, Special Projects Manager, at 651-602-1279 or linda.henning@metc.state.mn.us.

Tours are approximately ninety minutes to two hours in length, beginning with an orientation video and ending with a question-and-answer period.

Tours are limited to persons in 7th grade or older. The minimum group size is 10 persons; maximum is 30. Larger groups will be considered based on staff availability. There should be one teacher/chaperone for each 10 students.

There is no fee for the tour. Reservations must be made at least four-five weeks in advance, and are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Please have this information ready when you call:

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 are able to accommodate your tour request, we will send you a confirmation letter, our Plant Tour Safety and Security Rules, and additional information.