City of Rockford Public Works Department

The City of Rockford is approximately 2 square miles in size and contains roughly 20 miles of paved roads and approximately 12 miles of trails and walkways. The Street Department maintains, plows, and repairs these roads; as well as maintaining the city’s stormwater system and various other projects that support other departments.

The Rockford Utilities Department is comprised of the Water and Wastewater Utilities.

The Wastewater Treatment Plant and treatment system serve all properties located within city limits. Operation of the Wastewater Plant has met the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency standards for annual operation awards for the past decade.

The Water Plant and distribution system has a total of three active groundwater wells and two emergency wells. With ample freshwater capacity near 1 million gallons, the current average day production is around 360,000 gallons throughout the city’s 1,500 service connections, 30 miles of mains, and 398 hydrants.

The city’s water supply is taken from the bedrock layers of the St. Lawrence/Franconia Aquifer. Soils in the vicinity are high permeability loamy sand, formed in glacial outwash that overlay the water-bearing sand and gravel. The systems treat the water with chlorine, fluoride, and an aqueous phosphate solution.

Drinking Water Fact Sheets and Information:

2023 Rockford Drinking Water Information

2022 Rockford Drinking Water Information

2021 Rockford Drinking Water Information

Minnesota Department of Health Lead in Drinking Water (June 2022)

Minnesota Department of Health Copper in Drinking Water (January 2023)

Important Information on How to Protect Your Health – FACT SHEET Lead and Copper in Drinking Water 2019 – 2020

The Wellhead Protection Plan

The city has established a wellhead protection plan to protect the city’s drinking water. We have been working on the plan for several years along with our neighbors and the Minnesota Department of Health. A brochure has been produced for residents regarding your drinking water which has some valuable information.

Click here for brochure.

Water information Rockford Wellhead protection information.

As provided in the Parks and Recreation section of this website, Rockford is home to five major parks, miles of river and areas of green space throughout the city. The Parks Department maintains the landscaping and playground equipment in these parks, as well as conducting repair and maintenance on the city’s expansive trail system.

Address:

6551 Utility Drive, Rockford, MN

6:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Monday - Thursday & 6:30am - 10:30 Friday

Trevor Brummer – Public Works Superintendent

Trevor has overall supervision of the Public Works team. He performs complex supervisory, administrative, and professional work in planning, organizing, directing the public works department, including environmental, street, traffic control, lights and other public works projects and programs.

trevorb@cityofrockford.org
 

Darcy Desens – Parks Superintendent

Darcy is responsible for the supervision of construction, improvement, maintenance, and operation of Rockford parks, including tree and wildlife preservation, park buildings, shelters, multiuse trails, parking areas and natural areas. Darcy is the liaison to the parks commission to assist with prioritizing projects and improvements throughout our park system.

darcyd@cityofrockford.org
 

Chris Quirk – Streets Supervisor

Chris is responsible for the supervision of the Street Department. Chris has a full range of duties including the more complex construction, maintenance, and repairs operating a variety of equipment and is skilled at handling the eventful and unusual situations that arise, and are fully aware of the operating procedures and policies of the work unit.

chrisk@cityofrockford.org
 

Jason Styve – Street Maintenance

Jason handles a variety of duties in the maintenance and repair of streets, curbs, gutters, storm drains, streetlights, and related public works facilities.

jasons@cityofrockford.org
 

Mark Hafften

Mark Hafften handles a variety of duties in the maintenance and repair of streets, curbs, gutters, storm drains, streetlights, and related public works facilities.

markh@cityofrockford.org

Jack Block

Jack handles a variety of duties in the maintenance and repair of streets, curbs, gutters, storm drains, streetlights, and related public works facilities.

jackb@cityofrockford.org

• Water: $5.45 per 1,000 gallons and Base Rate $8.00
• Sewer: $7.35 per 1,000 gallons and Base Rate $8.00

These fees are paid at the time the building permit is issued.

• Trunk Area Charges for Water are $953 per acre
• Trunk Area Charges for Sewer are $901 per acre
• Water Access Connection (WAC) $2,342
• Sewer Access Connection (SAC) $5,106

During the period from November 1st to April 1st it shall be unlawful for any person to park a vehicle on or within fifteen feet of the roadway between the hours of 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. and anytime after there has been ice accumulation, continuous or intermittent snow fall during which there has been accumulation of two inches or more of snow on any street until plowed or removed the whole width of the roadway. Vehicles parked in violation of this ordinance will be towed and stored at the owner’s expense. At NO TIME shall a vehicle be parked on ANY street for more than twelve (12) hours.

SNOW PLOWING—It is unlawful to deposit snow onto ANY city, township, county or state road. Doing so is a violation of state statue and you will be fined.

Snow Plowing Policy

Public Works Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: I need a final utility billing read. Who do I call?
A: Public Works takes direction from City Hall on final utility reading information. Please call City Hall at (763) 477-6565 ex. 1 to request a final utility reading.

Q: What is the City of Rockford’s snow plowing policy?
A: City of Rockford Plowing & Ice Control Policy

Q: Does Rockford have a watering ban? How often can I water my lawn?
A: Yes, the City enforces an odd-even address year-round watering conservation plan. The odd-even system is as follows:

• If your house number is 6000 (even number), you will water on the 2nd & 4th, etc.
• If your house number is 6001 (odd number), you will water on the 1st & 3rd, etc.

New sod can be watered every other day and an established lawn only needs one inch of water per week. Grass seed, however, does need to be watered every day. If you have grass seed planed, you may contact the Public Works Department at (763) 477-4346, to be placed on a waiver list.

Q: What if I suspect a water main break?
A: Call City Hall at (763) 477-6565 ex. 1 during normal business hours to report an issue. After normal business hours, or on nights and weekends, call the Wright County Sheriff dispatch to report.

Q: I have a question about my utility bill. Who do I contact?
A: Call City Hall at (763) 477-6565 ex. 1 with questions regarding your utility bill. The most common question we receive involves high water use reported through your water meter. Typically, a process of elimination is involved to find out why your water bill appears high or possibly increased noticeably from last month. Before calling City Hall, it’s important to take the first step which is to determine if you have a water leak. To determine this, you will need to shut off all running water in your house then look at your water meter to see if the number continues to increase or the dial continues to spin. If this is the case, you have a water leak. If you have a leak, the probable next cause is a running toilet or lawn irrigation leak. If your water meter does not move when no water in the house is running, then call City Hall at 763-477-6565 ex. 1.

Q: I’m looking at water softeners and I need to know the water hardness level. What is the City grams for the hardness?
A: 479 milligrams per liter = 28 grams.

Q: Where are the city parks located?
A: Rockford Park Map

Q: Are there road restrictions in the City of Rockford?
A: Yes, during Spring at no more than 5,000 lbs per axle unless posted differently.

Q: Are flushable wipes flushable?
A: NO. The wipes may flush down the toilet, but the product clogs the City’s piping and creates added expense and resources to unclog the wipes.

Q: Do I need to clear snow from a fire hydrant that sits on my property?
A: It is incredibly important and helpful that homeowners clear snow three feet around hydrants on or near their property. In the event of a fire at or near your home, the Rockford fire fighters need fast access to the hydrants for the safety and wellbeing of the community. Time spent by our fire fighters shoveling and clearing the hydrant for access are valuable minutes not spent putting out the fire