West St. Paul water reservoir temporarily closed due to vandalization, will reopen Wednesday

Police say officers have arrested multiple people — both juvenile and young adults — after responding to a break-in at the St. Paul Regional Water Services (SPRWS) holding tank in West St. Paul late Tuesday night.

According to the department, officers were called to the tank on Imperial Drive around 10 p.m. When police arrived, they found multiple people leaving the scene.

Due to the amount of people considered to be suspects, other departments were called in to help with the search, which included the use of a drone and a helicopter.

When officers found a lid to the water reservoir was vandalized, members of the St. Paul Regional Water Services isolated and temporarily shut off the reservoir as a precaution until they could test the water. Police say they don’t have a reason to believe the suspects meant to tamper with the water supply.

Police say residents in West St. Paul may experience a decrease in their water pressure until the reservoir is back up and running.

In a later update, the Minnesota Department of Health says tests came back negative for drinking water quality concerns. The reservoir will be back in service Wednesday afternoon.

“These types of incidents are treated very seriously as they have the potential to involve purposeful contamination and affect water safety,” said Racquel Vaske, SPRWS general manager.

Formal charges are still pending.