U.S. Army Reserves tour wastewater treatment plant

EAGAN, Minn. — Dozens of soldiers from the United States Army Reserve spent Saturday morning touring a part of everyday life that is essential, but rarely seen.

Reserve troops toured the Seneca Wastewater Treatment plant in Eagan, where each day an average of 34 million gallons of water pour through.

The site is crucial is cleaning wastewater from more than 250,000 Minnesotans.

"This is definitely critical infrastructure," said Dave Gardner of the Seneca Plant. "We put mother nature on fast forward."

Troops toured the plant to familiarize themselves with the process of water treatment – solely to learn how to protect a similar plant from a crisis situation or threat.

"Sometimes getting down the basics, the basics that we take for granted in America are not so basic when you're in an area that have had conflict or may have conflict," said Battalion Commander Dale Kooyenga. "If you don't have a water situation taken care of, it creates disease, it creates a population that is upset with the current situation."

These skills and network building could one day serve soldiers either locally, or in overseas assignments, Kooyenga said.