Welcome to the City of Foley…a Minnesota thriving rural community!
City of Foley has a strong economic base, a convenient and accessible location, education system, numerous recreational activities and a quality of life, based on traditional values.Notices
Foley Residents Asked to Conserve Water Due to Extremely Dry Conditions
Attention, Foley Friends! Due to the extremely dry conditions, the City of Foley is asking residents to voluntarily begin conserving water immediately to help our water reserves.
We are watching the situation closely and will provide more information as conditions change. We may have to implement a watering ban (e.g. odd/even watering days based on your house number) in the near future.
Water Advisory Notice – Manganese
Every Foley resident is receiving a letter to notify users of a consumption advisory regarding the municipal water supply. This notice affects approximately 900 residences and business owners who receive their water from the city municipal water system. This notice is also being sent to private well owners in the city limits who may want to further research their private well system.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) conducted additional testing in 2021 as part of a study of unregulated contaminants. This testing showed that some of our wells have manganese levels above MDH’s recommended health guidelines. This notice is an advisory of an unregulated standard.
Manganese is unregulated and does not have an enforceable standard. However, the MDH recommended health guidelines are:
- If you have an infant who drinks tap water or drinks formula made with tap water, a safe level of manganese in your water is 100 parts per billion (ppb) or
- If you have an infant who never drinks tap water or formula made with tap water, a safe level of manganese in your water is 300 ppb or
- If everyone is more than one year old, a safe level of manganese in your water is 300 ppb or less.
The City requested testing from MDH to better understand manganese levels for all City wells. The most recent results are as follows
- Well #5 156.5 ppb
- Well #4 141.5 ppb
- Well #3 705.0 ppb
The City’s municipal water supply is primarily pumped from Well #5 with Well #4 intermittently for backup. Well #3 is rarely used.
The City is dedicated to providing clean and safe drinking water to residents. Testing by the Minnesota Department of Health shows the City’s municipal water supply continues to meet all Safe Drinking Water Act standards. Again, this notice is an advisory of an unregulated standard.
- Resident Letter from the City of Foley
- Letter from the MN Department of Health
- Health Risk Advisory for Manganese in Drinking Water
- Manganese in the Drinking Water
Seasonal Water System Maintenance May Cause Temporary Water Discoloration
Foley Public Works will be flushing the city water system this spring as part of routine maintenance of the water system. If you encounter discolored water during this period, you can run the cold, unsoftened tap for a few minutes to clear it up. The discoloration is not harmful to humans or animals. The color change is due to water sitting in the larger mains and the iron settles out. The sediment sits on the bottom of the main until the water flow is increased. The flushing process stirs up the sedimentation in the pipe and the water turns black or brown. This process also cleans out the stagnated water in the mains that have little water usage. If you have any questions, please call Foley Public Works at 320-968-4082.
- The city encourages everyone to use alternative methods of communication to help prevent the spread of viruses (phone, email, website, drop box, etc.).
- Follow city communications through our usual channels (website, Facebook, Twitter).
- Follow the advice of official county, state and federal organizations such as Benton County Public Health, Minnesota Department of Health, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- Stay home if you are sick, keep calm and wash your hands.
Foley City Council Votes to Raise Sewer Rate and Fees for 2021
The Foley City Council voted unanimously during their Jan. 5 council meeting to raise the city sewer rate for 2021. The new 2021 sewer rate is roughly the equivalent of a 10% increase over the 2020 rates.
Foley residents will see an increase to their minimum water/sewer bill from $92.73 to $97.63.
Rates are effective upon publication, Jan. 1, 2021. Foley residents will see the new rates reflected in their first quarter 2021 water/sewer utility bills scheduled to arrive in mailboxes in April 2021.
The Benton County Government Center provides DMV services and has now reopened
MnDOT Hwy 23 – Foley to Milaca Project Information
MnDOT will improve 13.5 miles of Highway 23 from Foley to Milaca in 2022.
For more information:
Sump Pump Water Discharge
To avoid creating water and/or ice hazards for pedestrians and motorists, residents are requested to move sump pump discharge hoses away from sidewalks and roadways to the edge of road right-of-way, so water drains onto your lawn or yard.
To prevent water from pooling on properties and creating a nuisance for neighbors, it is recommended residents move their discharge hoses frequently so the water can be absorbed faster into the soil.
The City of Foley Code of Ordinances Section 1100 defines a public nuisance as anything that endangers the public safety. This includes anything that interferes with, obstructs, or renders dangerous for passage, any public highway or right-of-way, or waters used by the public.
For more information: Please contact Foley City Hall at 320-968-7260.
Due to the possibility of unauthorized modification of electronic data, errors in transmission, HTML browser incompatibilities, and other aspects of electronic communication that are beyond our control, information contained in the City’s website should not be considered suitable for legal purposes. Contact the City Hall to verify accuracy.