St. Paul Regional Water Services, which provides water service to the city and eight surrounding suburbs, is hosting free open houses this week at the Maplewood treatment plant and the iconic water tower in the Highland Park neighborhood.

Visitors are welcome from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday at the McCarrons Treatment Plant, 1900 Rice St., where they can go on a one-hour tour to see how water is treated, filtered and pumped into the distribution system. Parking will be available next to the administration building, where visitors must first register. The last tour will start at 5 p.m.

The Highland water tower will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 12-13 for its annual fall open house. The 127-foot tower, at Snelling Avenue and Ford Parkway, was designed by city architect Clarence Wigington and completed in 1928. The tour includes information on the water utility and some of Wigington's blueprints, but the big draw is the view of the changing leaves from the top of the tower.

KEVIN DUCHSCHERE

@KDuchschere