DRINKING WATER PROTECTION

Minnesota Department of Health Randy Ellingboe Chris Elvrum

Groundwater and Public Health

Contaminants in drinking water create potential for

disease
Chemicals Pathogens (bacteria, protozoans, viruses)

The Good News: MN Public water supplies are doing a good job at protecting public health, and compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act is very high (>99%) Majority of private wells provide a safe adequate supply

The Bad News: Some private water supplies at risk knowledge limited Number of potential contaminants increasing, most unregulated
Pressing need to evaluate impacts on public health
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Minnesotas Drinking Water Sources

Public Water: Surface Water 1.3 million
Private Wells 1.2 million

73 % from groundwater

Public Water Supply: Groundwater 2.7 million people

Wells in Minnesota
Public Water Supply Wells serve 2.7 million people
11,000+ Public Wells Private Wells serve 1.2 million people ~250,000 Private Wells in operation

GW Quality for Drinking Water

Groundwater sources across the state vary widely in

quality, from those sources that require no treatment to those that are much like surface water sources Surface water and groundwater under the influence of surface water always requires a substantial amount of treatment

Groundwater Quality
Contaminants naturally-occurring & anthropogenic Microbiological
Bacteria, Viruses etc.

Chemical
Arsenic, Nitrate, PFCs

Radiological
Radium

Contaminants of Emerging Concern

Contaminants of Emerging Concern

Society uses a lot of chemicals 42,000 chemicals + 40,000 polymers in common use Science is better at looking for and finding chemicals Looking for more chemicals in more places Better laboratory analytical tools / lower detection limits There are new ways to measure toxicity Low doses / subtle effects We have toxicity data on a limited number of chemicals Drinking water advice on a few hundred

Testing Drinking Water

Public Water Supplies Safe Drinking Water Act - covers100+ contaminants Frequency and number of parameters tested in finished water varies, depending on risk Private Wells Arsenic, Nitrate, and Bacteria Testing at time of well construction. No additional testing or treatment required

Source Water Protection

Preventing contamination by managing potential sources in a wells recharge area Required in MN rule for groundwater source systems More effective and cost-efficient than clean-up, treatment or drilling a new well

*Private supplies protected by well

construction code

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Drinking Water Summary

Essential to economic growth and development Human activities impact quantity and quality Contaminants both naturally occurring and

anthropogenic Unregulated contaminants a challenge Protection is key for public health

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