Governor urges action this session to improve water quality, safeguard human health
ST. PAUL, MN - Governor Mark Dayton and Health Commissioner Dr. Ed Ehlinger today
released the findings of the state's annual drinking water report, which show nitrate levels in drinking water supplies are of increasing concern in Minnesota. Elevated levels of nitrate - which can lead to Blue Baby Syndrome in infants and other adverse human health effects - have caused an increasing number of Minnesota communities to install expensive nitrate treatment systems to ensure their water supplies are safe to drink. Some communities have resorted to temporarily distributing bottled water to their residents after detecting unsafe levels of nitrates in their drinking water. The report released today, which was compiled by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), also shows that as much as 10 percent of small ("non-community") drinking water systems in the state have source water with elevated levels of nitrate - which is a significant cause of concern for human health.
"This report underscores the urgent need for action this session to improve water quality in our state, said Governor Dayton. Bad water threatens our health, our economy, and our future. We must take steps now to improve water quality throughout our state. The cost of delay is unacceptably high."
"We all need to be involved in helping to protect our drinking water sources from contamination," said Commissioner Ehlinger. "Personal decisions regarding everything from the products we use to how land is managed for industry and agriculture have significant impacts on our environment and ultimately our drinking water."
The Minnesota Department of Health is responsible for safeguarding the quality of the state's drinking water, and for enforcing the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act in Minnesota. The report issued today - which has been
conducted annually since 1995 - studied Minnesota's 961 "community water systems," including towns, cities and non-municipal systems that provide drinking water to people in their homes. The report also studied the state's 5,926 "non-community water systems," which serve water to people in places outside their homes, like schools, factories, and resorts. Water samples from those systems were subjected to more than 22,000 separate tests for more than 100 potential contaminants.
Highlights of the Report
The Department of Health's annual drinking water report shows that while the vast majority of Minnesota's public water supply systems provide clean, safe drinking water, their ability to do so is increasingly challenged by nitrate contamination and other threats to their source water. (For purposes of this report, "Community Systems" are water supplies providing drinking water to people at home; "Non-Community Systems" are water supplies that provide drinking water at schools, lodging, and businesses.)
- Bacteria Found in 11 Community Water Supplies - Detectable levels of coliform bacteria were found in 11 community water systems, including 8 municipal systems. While not all coliform bacteria cause illness, they provide an indicator of possible contamination in the system. Systems with coliform problems are routinely disinfected, flushed, and re-tested to ensure that the contamination is gone before being returned to the drinking water supply (this process typically takes less than a week).
- Elevated Nitrate Levels in Community Water Supplies - Fourteen communities in Minnesota have nitrate levels that exceed health standards before treatment, in the groundwater used as source water. Currently, these communities are treating their water or blending high nitrate water with low nitrate water in order to meet the federal standard. Another 61 community water systems have elevated nitrate levels in their source water and are working with MDH staff to remedy the problems with their respective drinking water supplies before they exceed the health standard.
- Elevated Nitrate Levels in Non-Community Water Supplies - As much as 10 percent of all small, "non-community" systems that supply drinking water for schools, lodging, and businesses in the state, have elevated levels of nitrate. In fact, approximately 600 of the state's 6,000 non-community systems have groundwater sources affected by nitrate in some way - 13 of which had violations for exceeding the nitrate standard in 2014.
- Detecting Arsenic in Water Supplies - While several cities in Minnesota continue to wrestle with arsenic in their groundwater, the vast majority of municipal drinking water systems in the state report few problems. By the end of 2014, four community water systems, including two municipal systems, and three non-community systems, still exceeded the standard for arsenic. These systems are working with MDH to come into compliance and are communicating regularly with their residents about the situation.
Nitrate Treatment Costs for Minnesota Communities
Approximately 600 of the state's 6,000 non-community systems have groundwater sources affected by nitrate in some way. Treatment can reduce nitrate in water, however it can be costly. Clara City, in central Minnesota, had been supplying bottled water to pregnant women and families of infants for years. The city decided to build a treatment plant with pressure filters for reverse-osmosis water treatment. The process is effective, but new treatments plants are not cheap. The total project cost, including a new water tower, a new well, and installation of new water mains, was $3.2 million for a city of 1,300 people - a cost of $2,500 per resident.
A growing number of businesses and communities in Minnesota are concerned about increasing nitrate levels in their source water and are managing elevated nitrate levels using treatment and other options, including managing land use, taking a well out of service, drilling a new well, connecting to a nearby public water system, or blending high-nitrate water with lower-level nitrate water. Successful efforts to reduce nitrate contamination in our sources of drinking water will reduce treatment costs, and also keep out other contaminants that could also follow nitrate's pathway to contaminate drinking water.
Why Elevated Levels of Nitrate is a Health Concern
Nitrate comes from many sources, including fertilizers, manure, septic systems and natural decomposition of organic matter. When such sources become concentrated, they can release excessive amounts of nitrate and can contaminate drinking water sources. Infants less than six months old who drink water or formula made with water with high levels of nitrate can develop methemoglobinemia, or "Blue Baby Syndrome," which interferes with the ability of an infant's blood to carry oxygen, and can cause a baby's skin to turn a bluish color. In some cases, Blue Baby Syndrome can be fatal.
Pregnant women, people with reduced stomach acidity, and people with certain blood disorders may also be susceptible to nitrate-induced methemoglobinemia. Some research has suggested that nitrate may also play a role in the development of some cancers. However, at this time there is no clear evidence that nitrate ingestion results in an increased cancer risk.
Attachments:
- /governor/assets/map_nitrate_contamination.pdf_tcm1055-94303.pdfMAP: Map of nitrate contamination in Minnesota cities
- /governor/assets/nitrate_sources_infographic.pdf_tcm1055-92327.pdfINFOGRAPHIC: Nitrate sources in groundwater
- /governor/assets/photo_hastings_wtf.jpg_tcm1055-97707.jpgPHOTO: An example of a water treatment facility in Hastings, Minnesota
- /governor/assets/MDH_drinking_water_report_tcm1055-114778.pdfREPORT: The full Minnesota Drinking Water Annual Report can be found here
- /governor/assets/safe_drinking_water_week_2015.pdf_tcm1055-93426.pdfPROCLAMATION: Governor Mark Dayton has declared this week Safe Drinking Water Week in the State of Minnesota
