Water reservoir temporarily shut off after vandals tamper with West St. Paul holding tank

St. Paul Regional Water Services has temporarily shut off water from its reservoir after its West St. Paul holding tank was vandalized this week.

About 10 p.m. Tuesday, police responded to reports of a break-in at the St. Paul Regional Water Services (SPRWS) holding tank located on Imperial Drive in West St. Paul, according to a Facebook post by the West St. Paul Police Department. Officers saw several suspects fleeing the scene, but with the help of drones and helicopters, authorities located and arrested multiple teens and young adults. Charges are pending.

As they accessed the scene, police found a lid of the reservoir had been vandalized. SPRWS has isolated and shut off the reservoir until water testing can be completed.

“While there is no reason to believe the intent of the suspects was to tamper with the water supply, the city of West St. Paul, West St. Paul Police Department, and St. Paul Regional Water Services treat any call to water supply infrastructure with the utmost importance,” West St. Paul Police said in the post. “All resources will be used to apprehend suspects entering restricted water supply areas and proper testing will be done to ensure only safe water is flowing into our properties.”

Some West St. Paul properties will see decreased water pressure until the reservoir is turned back on.