Higher arsenic level in Dalton, Elizabeth drinking water poses no health threat

By Bob Williams | The Daily Journal

Published Friday, June 15, 2007

Municipal water systems in Dalton and Elizabeth were listed as having exceeded the standard for arsenic in an annual survey of drinking water reported test results for 726 municipal systems and 237 non-municipal systems in the state.

According to Dalton City Clerk and Otter Tail County Commissioner Dennis Mosher, notices have been posted at city hall and the Department of Health has previously issued direct mailings to local residents.

“It’s not anything that’s going to kill anybody,” Mosher said. “I like the drinking water in Dalton.”

Health Commissioner Dianne Mandernach said the overall quality of Minnesota’s public water supplies is good.

“When a problem is detected, the Health Department works with the water system to make sure corrective actions are taken,” she said in a news release. “These actions always include notification of the residents affected by the problem.”

Other water problems in Minnesota last year included industrial contamination in Bayport, fecal coliform bacteria in St. Augusta, and high arsenic levels in 18 communities including Dalton and Elizabeth, the state Health Department said Tuesday.

A tougher standard for arsenic took effect last year and more than 20 systems cut their levels to meet the new rule. Arsenic occurs naturally in the environment and, as a component of underground rock and soil, can work its way into groundwater, and is found in many areas of Minnesota.

For many years, the standard for arsenic was 50 parts per billion (ppb). A revision to the Arsenic Rule, which was finalized in January 2001, lowered the limit to 10 ppb. The new standard took effect in 2006.

Previous testing indicated that approximately 40 community water systems in Minnesota had arsenic levels that would exceed the revised standard. Working with MDH, these water systems studied alternatives, and more than 20 of these systems reduced their levels to under 10 ppb prior to the new standard taking effect. They did this by adding treatment processes, replacing existing wells, or connecting to other water supplies.

Minnesota led the nation in high levels of copper in the water, with 28 systems above the recommended levels. The report said the groundwater in the state tends to absorb copper, a process that’s accelerated by treatment to remove iron.

The report can be viewed on the web at: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/com/dwar/report06.html