Annual Report Again Shows
State Drinking Water in Good Shape
In May, the Minnesota Department of Health issued its third-annual report on
the results of drinking-water monitoring. The report, which covered 1996, included
the following monitoring results:
Pesticides and Industrial Contaminants. MDH conducted 57,441 separate
tests for these contaminants. Detectable levels of contaminants were found in 139
(.24 percent) of those tests. No systems exceeded drinking water standards for
these contaminants.
Bacterial Contamination. Nineteen systems—including eight municipal
systems—tested positive for bacterial contamination. The largest served a
community of approximately 825 people. Most of the affected systems were able
to resume normal operation after a short period of time.
Nitrate. Two muncipal systems, serving communities with populations ranging
from 1,000 to 2,600, exceeded the standard for nitrate. They are working to
correct the problem and have notified residents, advising against consumption of
the water by infants.
Inorganic Chemicals and Radioactive Elements. No community water supply
exceeded standards for these types of contaminants.
The report also addressed the progress being made by systems with their
corrosion-control studies and implementation to address lead and/or copper
exceedances. Of the 128 medium-size community systems (serving from 3,301 to
50,000 residents) that initially monitored in 1992, 21 exceeded the lead action level,
and 29 exceeded the copper action level. Per the compliance plan, these systems
were scheduled to resample in 1998, following a corrosion-control study and
implementation of treatment. However, a number of the systems have completed
their treatment and decided to resample two years ahead of schedule. Ten of
those systems passed in their resampling and are out of exceedance. Nine of the
systems achieved this through chemical treatment for corrosion control while one
did it through the replacement of lead service lines. (Four other medium
systems also resampled but still exceeded the action level.) Of the 29 medium
systems that exceeded the action level for copper, nine are now out of exceedance
as a result of completing corrosion-control treatment and successful resampling.
On the subject of new developments and emerging issues, the report focused on
the reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act with particular emphasis on the
creation of a Drinking Water Revolving Fund to provide below-market-rate loans
to public water systems to comply with SDWA requirements.
For a copy of the report, contact the MDH Public Water Supply Unit at 612/2150770.
Summer 1997
Volume Five/1
Inside:
Eden Prairie Landmark
Eden Prairie’s newest water tower, in
addition to being the first composite water
tower in the state, has become a symbol
for the city to mark its downtown district.
See page 2 for complete story.
Upcoming Certification
Exam Dates
October 7, Brooklyn Center
October 16, Marshall
October 29, Collegeville
October 31, Blooming Prairie
December 4, Fergus Falls
See calendar on back page
for more information
Water Towers
SDWA Amendments
1998 Metro School Dates
Drinking Water Revolving Fund Update
Eden Prairie Tower Meets Needs, Provides Highlight to Downtown Area
Many of the decisions and issues faced by the
elevations of the existing towers. “Typically,
city of Eden Prairie in adding water storage a
all the tanks in a city have the same
few years ago were typical ones related to the
elevation. To make this one work with the
two basic functions of a water tower—storage
system, it ended up being a tall tower.”
and pressure. But the Eden Prairie experience
The height of the tower may have
also points out that form can be every bit as
bothered some communities, who try to make
significant as function.
their storage vessels as inconspicuous as
The city’s newest tower—a distinctive
possible. Eden Prairie, on the other hand,
structure designed by the Minnetonka firm of
did everything it could to make the tower
Rieke Carroll Muller Associates, Inc. (RCM) and
stand out. Since the optimal spot for the
completed in 1995—is the third above-ground The new Eden Prairie water tower was in an area the city considers to be
storage tank in Eden Prairie. The city already tower has 18-foot-diameter its downtown, a distinctive design was
had a heightened steel hydropillar on Minn. Hwy. clocks on all sides.
desired. “They wanted a landmark,” said
5 near the city line with Chanhassen and a ground tank on a hill
Folen. “They went through many sketches, some of them
at Minn. Hwy. 62 and Interstate 494 (with the high ground
far out including one that resembled a pagoda.”
providing the necessary elevation for the pressure).
The city and RCM finally settled on a composite design,
All three tanks are spread around the city’s trunk watermain
with a steel tank and concrete pedestal, that allowed for
system, essentially surrounding the city. Dale Folen, a project
the incorporation of a number of specialized architectural
engineer at RCM, says this is, in general, an advantage with
features, including an arch design with a masonry pattern.
regard to firefighting. “The ability to fight a fire from multiple
The pattern was achieved with a styrene form liner
directions optimizes the watermain sizing,” he explains. “If
molded in the shape of stones. The concrete was pouredyou can cause water to flow from two different directions in
in-place in a series of 12-foot lifts (except for the final
fighting a fire, you cut the velocity in half and double the
three, which were 20 feet each), according to RCM project
available water going to it.”
architect John Monnens. The concrete was then stained,
In addition to these advantages, the city now has storage
a darker tone being used to set off the stone pattern from
and pressure in the midst of its commercial district.
the rest of the tower. Four clocks, each 18 feet in
“Commercial areas, with their larger buildings and density, have
diameter, complete the look of the pedestal.
a greater fire-flow capacity
All did not go according
need,” says Greg Johnson,
to plan with the construcanother RCM project engineer.
tion, however. The styrene
Prior to this, the city’s main
formwork caught fire in
storage was at the far end of the
January of 1994, damaging
distribution system from Eden
some of the concrete that
Prairie Center and its growing
had already been placed.
development, an area that had
Chicago Bridge and Iron,
the greatest pressure needs.
the contractor for the
The closest storage was an
project, sawed two feet of
underground tank at the water
concrete off the top of the
treatment plant, which would
pedestal and repoured. The
have required high-service
fire delayed completion by
pumps in the event of a fire.
about 60 days.
The new tower, with a 64The tank was filled and
foot-deep tank atop a 126-footoperational in the spring of
1995 although the exterior Construction crews had to
The stone-and-mortar design high pillar, tops out at 190 feet,
was achieved with the use of a much taller than average. Folen
painting could not be com- contend with a fire in the form
styrene liner.
says this was a result of the
pleted until that summer.
liner in January 1994.
Eden Prairie Water Tower Facts
Bowl Diameter: 80 feet
Capacity: 2 million gallons
Bowl Height: 64 feet
Clock Diameters: 18 feet
Pedestal Height: 126 feet
Clock Mounting Heights: 90 feet
Pedestal Diameter: 48 feet
Construction Cost: $2.3 million
Pedestal Wall Thickness (stone surface): 19 inches Architect/Engineer: Rieke Carroll Muller Associates, Inc.
Contractor: Chicago Bridge and Iron
Pedestal Wall Thickness (flat surface): 13 inches
2
Towers Serve as Identifiers, Reminders, Landmarks
Project engineer Dale Folen of RCM Inc. points
out that some cities want their elevated storage
tanks to be as non-descript as possible. For many
communities, however, a water tower is a part of
its identity. Driving through the prairies
of Minnesota, travelers are alerted to the coming
of a town by the sight of a water tower poking up
beyond the horizon.
Some cities are bolder with the idenfication they put on
their water towers. The Barnum water tower proudly
proclaims itself Home of the Bombers, and Buhl uses its
tower to lay claim to Finest Water in America. The tower
in Staples notes 100 Years of
Progress while the back side of
the water tower in Sauk Centre
serves as a reminder to its
“Original Main Street.” Pequot
Lakes needs no further words to
inform visitors of its great fishing.
Its water tower—with red on the
bottom and white on the top—is
in the shape of a bobber. An
even different shape is the
tea-kettle look of the tower
in Lindstrom.
Even on conventionally shaped tanks,
Välkommen till Lindström
designs can be
distinctive. Watertown lives up to its name with
the bottom portion of the tower painted in the
shape of waves. The city of Sauk Rapids took the
effort to have its tower painted like a hot-air balloon.
For a little additional expense, the city has received
enormous recognition and promotion that has created
additional interest and corresponding development.
“People driving up U. S. Highway 10 can’t miss
finding out where Sauk Rapids is,” says Folen. The
city of Princeton also made the effort to make its
tower a thing of beauty, with the letters of the town’s
name reflected in a painting of a lake below the
lettering.
Some towers, no longer storage vessels for water, still
provide an historic function. The tower on the corner of
Sixth and Washington—in the heart of Brainerd—was the
first all-concrete elevated tank used by a municipality in the
United States. It was widely
pictured on postcards and maps
and, even though it was drained in
1960 following construction of a
new tower, is still the prominent
feature in the city’s logo.
And, finally, some towers are
now nothing more than
fond memories. When Eveleth
constructed a new tower next
to the one it was replacing, the
city identified the old
one as Hot and the
new one as Cold,
prompting
some
visitors as well as Brainerd Landmark
residents to inquire if the city really had
segregated its hot and cold water.
The conundrums have come to a close,
however, as the abandoned Hot tower was finally
dismantled this past winter.
Where Are We?!!?
It’s not just automobile travelers who count on water towers for their sense of direction. In 1960, a DC-3
carrying the Minneapolis Lakers basketball team drifted off course while bringing the team home from St.
Louis. With electrical power gone and guidance instruments also disabled, pilot Vern Ullman buzzed a water
tower in Carroll, Iowa in an attempt to find out where he was; alas, much of the town’s name was obliterated by
snow, and all Ullman could make out were the letters “O-L-L.” Fortunately, Ullman—still not knowing where he
was—was able to land the plane safely in an uncut cornfield.
3
PWS Profile
AWWA News
LeAnne Workcuff
For the third consecutive year, the Minnesota Section of
the American Water Works Association will have a booth at
the State Fair. If you are interested in assisting with the
planning and set-up of the booth or would like to volunteer to
help staff the booth, call Dennis Martenson at 612/591-5421
or Gerry Allen at 612/636-7173.
1997-98 AWWA District Officers
Southeast District
Chair-Myron Volker, Owatonna
Vice Chair-Dan Hemma, Red Wing
Director-Bob Keiper, Winona
Secretary-Paul Halvorson, MDH
Metro District
Chair-Glen Gerads, Bloomington
Vice Chair-Mike Lauseng, Hopkins
Director-Adam Kramer, Minneapolis
Secretary-John Norgren, Anoka
Lee is a veteran of the Minnesota Department of Health
who recently transferred to the Public Water Supply Unit.
Her new duties will put her in contact with many operators
as she provides support for the water schools around the
state. She also collects service connection fees, serves as a
network assistant for computer issues, and provides paraprofessional support for the PWS compliance officer for
tracking bacteriological water samples.
Lee works hard away from MDH, as well. She owns her
own business that focuses on floral and equipment rental
(floral garlands, centerpieces, wedding arches, candelabras)
for weddings, graduations, and special events. Her motto is
“Why buy when you can rent?”
In addition to floral arranging, she enjoys horseback riding
and talking on the phone. Lee lives on three acres in Rockford with her family that consists of two quarter horses
(What’s Her Name and Brick Redman Chaw), one dog
(Raeza), two cats (Cloey and Yoda), one cockatiel (Daisy),
one angora bunny (Bundoo), one husband (Mark the
machinist), and one stepson (Matt).
1998 Metro School Dates Set
April Fools’ Day will mark the beginning of the Metro
Waterworks Operators’ School in 1998. The school,
tentatively set to return to the Thunderbird Hotel in
Bloomington, will run from Wednesday, April 1 through
Friday, April 3 with certification exams held on Friday
afternoon. Because of the positive feedback received
regarding the hands-on workshops at various off-site
locations, it is likely that this feature will continue.
An Exam Prep will be held on Monday, March 23 at the
Crystal Community Center.
Registration information will be available in the Winter
1997-98 Waterline with a complete agenda for the school in
the Spring 1998 Waterline.
Gene Jourdan Dies
Gene Jourdan, former public-health sanitarian with the
MDH Environmental Health Services Section Duluth office,
died of cancer on April 19.
He is survived by his wife, Virginia, a daughter and sonin-law, and two grandchildren.
Waterline
Published quarterly by the Public Water Supply Unit
of the Minnesota Department of Health
Mike Malszycki of Toltz King Duvall Anderson conducted a
session on leak detection for one of the hands-on workshops
at the 1997 Metro Waterworks Operators’ School.
Editor: Stew Thornley
Waterline staff: Dick Clark, Marilyn Krause,
Cindy Swanson
Renewal Notices Sent
To request this document in another format,
call 612/215-0700; TDD 612/215-0707 or toll-free
through the Minnesota Relay Service, 1/800/627-3529
(ask for 612/215-0700).
Renewal notices for certificates expiring on June 30th were
sent out at the beginning of May. If you have not yet
received your notice, please contact Marilyn Krause at 612/
215-0754.
4
SDWA Reauthorization
Workgroups appointed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—operating under the new “partnering approach”
to regulation implementation—are chiseling out the guidance, guidelines, and information as a result of the amendments set
forth in last August’s reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Meanwhile, here’s an overview of some of the
amendments (a separate Waterline article below deals with the status of the Drinking Water Revolving Fund):
Standard Setting: EPA will need to determine whether
Operator Certification: EPA, in partnership with states,
or not to issue regulations for at least five new contaminants
must develop guidelines specifying the minimum standards
every five years. The new SDWA provisions allow EPA a
for certification and recertification of operators of
longer time to establish contaminant selection based on
community and noncommunity nontransient public water
occurrence, relative health risk, and cost-benefit
systems. Through grants to states, EPA is required to
considerations. EPA must update a list of unregulated
reimburse training and certification costs—including per diem
contaminants for monitoring and consider the need for
costs for unsalaried operators—for operators of systems
drinking water standards every five years. The first list—of
serving fewer than 3,300 residents. States can lose up to 20
not more than 30 contaminants—is expected August 1999.
percent of their drinking water revolving fund allotment if
The first list of not more than five regulated contaminants is
they fail to implement the minimum guidelines.
expected August 2001.
Source Water Protection: This is the first time the Safe
Capacity Development: Hailed as a preventive approach
Drinking Water Act has mandated source water protection
to public health protection, this amendment is intended to
as all states will have to implement EPA-approved programs
enhance and ensure the technical, financial, and managerial to assess threats and provide for voluntary local partnerships
capacity of water supply systems to comply with national to prevent pollution. By August 1997 EPA will publish
drinking water regulations. Each state is required to obtain
guidance for state source water and voluntary source water
the legal authority or other means to ensure that 1) new
petition programs. States will have 18 months to submit
community and noncommunity nontransient water supplies
program plans and, following EPA approval, two years to
have the capability to comply with national drinking water
complete the assessments, which will then qualify them for
standards, and 2) a strategy exists to ensure technical, fipermanent monitoring relief in assessed areas. While
nancial, and managerial capacity of all public water supplies.
current wellhead protection programs cover only
States that fail to meet the criteria of new system capacity
groundwater systems, the new source water assessment
and existing system capacity strategies may lose up to 20
program covers all public water systems, groundwater or
percent of their Drinking Water Revolving Fund allotment.
surface water.
Guidance describing legal authorities and other means for
Consumer Confidence Reports: All community water
the new system capacity must be developed by August 1998.
suppliers, including non-municipal systems, will have to issue
Treatment Technologies: EPA is required to make
an annual report to their customers. Depending on the size
assessments of technologies for three categories of small
of the system, the report may have to be mailed to all
public water systems: 25-500 residents served; 501-3,300;
customers, published in a newspaper, or merely be made
and 3,301-10,000. Technology assessments are required for
available to anyone requesting it. The report will include a
all current regulated contaminants and all future
list of all regulated contaminants detected with an
contaminants as they are promulgated. EPA must establish
explanation of the health effects of any contaminant in which
by August 1997 the list of technologies that can achieve
there was a violation of the maximum contaminant level. As
compliance with the Surface Water Treatment Rule. By
drafted, the rule would require systems to deliver their first
August 1998 EPA must issue a list of technologies with all
report within 14 months of the promulgation date of August
existing national drinking water regulations. When it is not
1998, meaning that systems will likely have to begin
possible to identify a technology that will treat the drinking
publishing reports sometime in 1999. Before this, EPA will
water to below the maximum contaminant level, EPA must
educate systems on the rule and provide technical assistance
identify variance technologies that maximize contaminant
for complying. An American Water Works Association
reduction and protect public health. Variance technologies
stakeholders panel is urging flexibility with regard to the date
cannot be used for microbial contaminants. EPA must
of issuance, especially if it may be convenient for a particular
establish the list of variance technologies for all existing
water system in terms of cash flow, work load, and other
national drinking water regulations by August 1998.
notices it may have to issue.
DWRF Program Progresses
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Public Facilities Authority (PFA) continue to make progress in
developing a drinking water revolving fund (DWRF) for eligible Minnesota public water supplies. Here is a tentative schedule:
DWRF Rules—Published Early June 1997
Placement on PPL Closes—Mid-September 1997
MDH Request Placement on Project Priority List
Placement on IUP Closes—Late September 1997
(PPL)—Early June 1997
DWRF Grant Application Submitted to Environmental
PFA Request for Placement on Intended Use Plan
Protection Agency (EPA)—Mid-October 1997
(IUP)—Early June 1997
DWRF Grant Received by PFA/MDH—November
DWRF Rules Final—Mid-August 1997
1997
If all activities stay on schedule, DRWF loans may be awarded by as early as this November or December.
5
CALENDAR
Minnesota Section, American
Water Works Association
Annual Conference, September 24-26,
Holiday Inn, Detroit Lakes,
Contact Jim Haugen, 612/489-1051
*October 16, Southwest Waterworks
Operators’ School, Marshall, Contact
Mark Sweers, 612/389-2501
*Northwest Waterworks Operators’
School, Best Western, Fergus Falls,
December 2-4, Contact Stew Thornley,
612/215-0771
Minnesota Rural Water Association
Contact Kyle Kedrowski, 218/685-5197
September 10, Barnum, Distribution
Operations and Maintenance
September 17, Luverne, Wells—
Pumps and Meters
October 8, Pine Island, Meters/Leak
Detection
October 22, Biwabik, Operations and
Maintenance
*Southeast MinnesotaWaterworks
Operators Association(SEMWWOA)
*Central Minnesota Waterworks Contact Paul Halvorson, 507-285Operators’ School, October 29, St 7289
October 31, Blooming Prairie
John’s University, Collegeville, Contact
Tom Dunn, 320/255-7225
*Suburban Superintendents School,
October 7, Brooklyn Center Civic
Center, Contact John Hill, 612/531-1166
Teleconferences
Contact Jodi Bening, 612/591-5433
July 31, SDWA Reauthorization
November 13, Public Involvement
Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency
(Wastewater Operator Training)
Contact Emily Armistead, 612/296-7251
June 24-26, Wastewater Treatment
Technology Seminar, Kelly Inn, St. Cloud
September 16-17, Land Application
of Biosolids Seminar, Holiday Inn,
Willmar
September 23-25, Wastewater
Treatment Technology Seminar, Grand
Rapids
October 29-31, Collection System
Basics, Maplewood Inn
November 4-6, Land Application of
Biosolids, Holiday Inn, Brainerd
November 18-20, Land Application of
Biosolids, Best Western Garden Inn,
Mankato
December 10-12, Wastewater
Treatment Technology Seminar,
Maplewood
*Schools/meetings marked with an asterisk include a certification exam
Minnesota Department of Health
121 E. 7th Place Suite 220
P. O. Box 64975
St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0975
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED