Corps of Engineers and city of Northfield, Minn., to sign agreement marking the beginning of an environmental water tower project

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, and the city of Northfield, Minnesota, will sign a project partnership agreement for the design and construction of a new city water tower during a brief ceremony May 15.

The ceremony is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at the Northfield City Hall Council Chambers, 801 Washington Street, Northfield, Minnesota.

The new 750,000-gallon water tower will provide redundancies to the water system near Northfield’s Hospital and Clinic and improve fire protection and storage capacity for the northwest portion of the city. The water tower will measure roughly 150 feet tall and 28 feet in diameter on the ground.

Col. Matthew Chase, district commander, and Northfield Mayor Erica Zweifel will sign the cost-share agreement to mark the beginning of this $5 million environmental infrastructure project that is expected to start in spring 2027.

The Corps of Engineers will fund $4 million under the Corps of Engineers’ Environmental Infrastructure Section 219 projects. The city of Northfield will fund the remainder amount.

"We're looking forward to partnering with the city of Northfield on the new water tower," Chase said. "Reliable water resources are central to our environmental infrastructure program's mission, and projects like this deliver lasting benefits—not just to Northfield, but to the resilience of communities across the nation."

The St. Paul District’s environmental infrastructure programs assist communities with building, designing and/or restoring environmentally friendly water supply and wastewater treatment systems. By the end of 2025, the district has assisted more than 58 communities with this program.