Worst of Times Brings Out Best in People
Minnesota Water Operators Respond to the Floods of 1997
Everyone knew they were coming.
But no one could anticipate the fury with
which they would strike.
The floods of 1997 left many cities in
Minnesota reeling as they displaced
residents and interrupted services. One
necessity that persevered almost
without fail, however, was a supply of
potable water. It was through the
heroic efforts of water supply
operators in the affected communities—
many of whom had their own personal
tragedies to deal with—as well as a
different type of flood, a flood of
volunteers from all parts of the state, that
allowed communities to carry on.
It wasn’t that no one had prepared.
Residents and city officials knew it was
going to be a bad spring for flooding and
did what they could to keep the waters
back. The first cities threatened were
those along the Minnesota River, where
cresting was expected for the second
week in April. But changing weather
first moved up the predicted dates for
the crest, then exacerbated attempts to
fight it.
Montevideo
Montevideo residents felt everything
was under control until noon on
Thursday, April 3. It had been a
pleasant week for weather—too
pleasant as it turned out since it caused
heavier than expected snow melts
upstream. Not only would this cause the
high waters to hit even sooner, it altered
Fall 1997
Volume Five/2
This was a too-familiar scene in some parts of Minnesota last spring.
the direction from which they would be
coming. Byron Hayunga, the city’s
utilities superintendent, said they thought
the water would come down the
Minnesota River—cresting at 21 feet,
seven feet above flood stage—backing
up the Chippewa River, which converges
with the Minnesota River in Montevideo,
against a spillway. But warmer temperatures to the northeast of Montevideo
created a growing run-off into rivers and
creeks that empty into the Chippewa
River. “We were prepared for the Minnesota [River] side,” said Hayunga, “but
when the weather turned nice to the north
of us, it came down the Chippewa, sort
of in the back door on us.”
The utility had planned on beginning
work on a two-foot-high dike to surround
the pumphouse on Friday, April 4th, but
news of the impending crest caused
them to rush the process, completing the
initial section on Thursday. “As we were
Floods—Continued on page 2
Upcoming Certification Exam Dates
October 7, Brooklyn Center
October 29, Collegeville
October 16, Marshall
October 31, Blooming Prairie
December 4, Fergus Falls
See calendar on back page for more information
Inside:
School News
PWS Profile
Waterworks Quiz
Floods—Continued
sealed off the covers and overflows so if the water did come
building the dike, we could see the river coming up,” Hayunga
over, nothing would get in,” Opdahl said, adding that, “It was
said, “so late afternoon on Thursday, I turned on one of the
virtually impossible to seal it off totally.”
wells by hand to keep the reservoirs full.”
The water did reach the top of the clearwell on Sunday,
The rush job on the dike was successful, but workers could
April 6, tearing the plastic covering in many places. Opdahl
see they weren’t done yet. Four feet were added on Saturcontacted Blomme at home and asked him to survey the
day and another two feet on Sunday after word was received
situation. Because of concerns over Cryptosporidium and
that the crest would be two feet higher than expected.
Giardia as a result of the infiltration, Blomme issued a boil
“Montevideo went back to the pump station twice to build
order, which remained in effect until April 16.
the dike up,” said John Blomme, the
Opdahl said they sampled
Minnesota Department of Health
constantly from the clearwell to
(MDH) field engineer who serves the The majority of sandbagging was done monitor the turbidity levels and make
area. “They realized on Saturday that in brutal conditions over the weekend sure there was adequate chlorination.
the dike was still too small, so
“The only thing that changed was the
with two inches of rain on Saturday
overnight they built it up again, barely followed by 50 mile per hour winds that turbidity reading in the clearwell,” he
keeping it above the water.” The dike created a ground blizzard on Sunday. said, “but there was no detection of
eventually consisted of three sections
fecal coliforms in the samples from
totaling eight feet in height.
the distribution system.”
The mild weather that accelerated the flood schedule didn’t
As Montevideo and Granite Falls were hanging on, rising
last. The majority of sandbagging was done in brutal waters were taking aim at other areas.
conditions over the weekend with two inches of rain on
Ada became the first Minnesota city to be almost fully
Saturday followed by 50 mile per hour winds that created a
evacuated on Monday, April 7. Nearly 75 percent of
ground blizzard on Sunday.
the 1,700 residents cleared out after two normally
Montevideo’s water system remained operational, although
shallow rivers overran the banks, spread overland, and poured
a boil order was issued as a precaution. “Their overflow
into homes. If that wasn’t bad enough, temperatures
was taking on river water, so it was coming back through the
plummeted overnight, creating additional damage as the
system through the ground reservoir,” explains Blomme.
water froze.
“Their biggest problem with the water was that their
The freezing weather actually brought relief to residents in
overflow was in the water to begin with, so they never had a
Ortonville as it eased fears that the Big Stone Lake dam,
chance to get down and put a plug in it before the water rose.
which controls the flow of water into the Minnesota River,
They could bank up to keep the water out, but they couldn’t
might wash out.
find a way to plug the overflow, so it was taking on water.”
However, in most cases, the nasty weather
The boil order remained in effect for approximately ten days.
worsened, rather than alleviated, already dire conditions. In
Breckenridge, three inches of rain and snow that fell
Granite Falls
overnight on Sunday, April 7, overwhelmed dikes along the
Meanwhile, a dozen miles downstream on the Minnesota
Red River of the North and caused the evacuation of 400
River, volunteer crews in Granite Falls were underway with
residents.
similar efforts to save the city and retain services. The
weekend storms not only interfered with their sandbagging
The Crests Continue
but also paralyzed travel in the area, making it difficult for
Despite crest predictions that were being revised upward
outside help to reach the city. Two neighborhoods in Granite
on a daily basis for the Minnesota River at New Ulm, the
Falls were evacuated as volunteers worked through the bad
city’s water supply continued uninterrupted, thanks to a
weather and continued on Monday when the weather cleared.
strategic decision to take four wells out of service and
Residents, National Guardsman, and out-of-town volunteers
concentrate efforts on saving the other wellhouses.
labored side-by-side, occasionally gazing skyward to marvel “Based on our demand at that time of the year, we
at Comet Hale-Bopp, with their work resulting in 500
didn’t need those wells,” said the city’s water/steam
yards of 12-foot levees along Minnesota Avenue and
distribution supervisor, George Brown. With the help
shorter dikes lining Prentice Avenue across the
of the National Guard, crews from the water utility used boats
Minnesota River.
to sandbag the wellhouses over the weekend of April 6-7.
Although the city had been saved, fears over
Brown said they remained in regular contact with MDH
contaminated drinking water had already led to the issuance
engineer Mark Sweers, who twice visited the site, and
of a boil order. Blomme emphasized that the boil order was
determined there was no need for a boil order. By mid-week,
a precautionary measure and not the result of any positive
the situation with the water supply had stabilized, and
samples. Water superintendent Darrell Opdahl explained that
National Guard personnel shifted their efforts to the city’s
they were mainly concerned with their clearwell, which is
main levee, which was undermined and in danger of failing
separated from the river by a retaining wall. Opdahl recalls
on Wednesday, April 9. Two hours of furious sandbagging
a devastating flood in 1969 when flood waters lapped at the
sealed the breach.
edges, but did not reach the top, of the clearwell. With that in
The same energy was being expended farther north, in the
mind, Opdahl and his crews did what they could to protect
North Dakota and Minnesota cities adjacent to the Red River
the clearwell. “We wrapped the whole thing in plastic and
of the North.
2
The efforts increased in Moorhead and Fargo as an ice jam
20 miles downstream (to the north) prompted revisions of
earlier forecasts that the river would crest at 6-12 inches
below levees to a prediction that the crest would end up 6-12
inches above the levees. Residents who thought they had completed their sandbagging duties were back at it again to raise
the dike by another foot. They completed their task, only to
learn that an iced-up gauge in the river had overestimated the
height of water moving toward the cities, making the final surge
of sandbagging unnecessary.
Despite this experience, those in the next cities to feel the brunt,
East Grand Forks and Grand Forks, were not about to underestimate what was coming. Volunteers worked without interruption to keep the Red River, as well as the Red Lake River in
East Grand Forks, within the confines of their growing walls of
sandbags. They had been fighting the valiant battle since late
March and had persevered through the same brutal storms that
had hampered other communities the first weekend of April.
However, this was to be a case where even a maximum
effort turned out to be not enough.
East Grand Forks
On Friday, April 18, the Red River of the North turned into a
lake as it overcame dikes, leaving vast devastation on both sides.
A mass evacuation of East Grand Forks began as most of the
city was soon to be underwater. Among those leaving were
three water utility workers from Thief River Falls, Allen Lamm,
Steve Hams, and Wayne Johnson, who had come down to check
on the conditions at the East Grand Forks water treatment plant.
Since the afternoon of Thursday, April 17th, they had staffed
dike flood pumps, providing relief to exhausted East Grand Forks
personnel. By late Friday evening, the pumps were all under
water. “The drive out of town was eerie,” recalls Lamm.
“Flood water was 18 inches deep in the street. We had to
guess where the street actually was.”
Exhausted and angry as the river chased them out, the trio
swore to come back—with an army. One week later, the army
arrived: volunteers from all over the state, coordinated through
an effort of the Minnesota Section of the American Water
Works Association (AWWA).
In between, much happened at East Grand Forks as plant
operators worked midnight to midnight shifts, putting aside
personal issues (many of these workers lost their own homes)
and focusing on continuing to serve their community.
While Lamm, Hams, and Johnson were dealing with the
pumps, a thinning East Grand Forks crew had worked well into
the evening of April 18, erecting a ring dike around the water
plant. In addition to utilities general manager Dan Boyce,
water plant superintendent Gary Hultberg, and operators Mike
Weisinger and Sterling Bottomley, the group included Jeff Olson
and Todd Grabinski, who worked with the city’s electrical
utility and water distribution. Olson had been recruited to help
with water supply during the emergency, and he, in turn,
recruited others. One was a friend, Mike Coauette, who had
been doing a lot of voluntary sandbagging through the city.
Coauette came over to help with the efforts at the water plant
that night and has been there ever since. He continues to work
on an emergency disaster basis through the Federal Emergency
Management Association and hopes to secure full-time
employment with the utility in distribution.
3
Dan Boyce and Mike Weisinger check on the ring dike
protecting the East Grand Forks water treatment plant.
Meanwhile, Dave Ebertowski, the utility’s lone
distribution crew member, was ferrying sandbags around
town on a forklift in an effort to protect reservoirs and other
components of the distribution system.
Attempts to maintain water service were abandoned on
Monday, April 21, as it was no longer possible to maintain
pressure on the system. “We could not hold pressure in the
system,” says Hultberg. “The water was going out through
leaks as fast as we were putting it into the system.”
The initial assessment was that severe watermain breaks
were the culprit, but when crews sought to find and isolate
the breaks over the coming days, they found that the mains
were in good shape. The problem was elsewhere,
according to operator Brian Johnson. “The reason we lost
the pressure was that we couldn’t hold water in the towers
anymore because the vast majority of services into the
houses had broken out when the water heaters floated and
ripped the plumbing out.” Even though the utility was
producing approximately 1,300 gallons per minute of water,
it was unable to keep up with demand.
With operations suspended, the focus shifted to saving
the plant itself. The sandbagging efforts paid off as the
structure remained dry and served as a haven, as well as a
rallying center, for the comeback.
The flood water finally began to recede on Tuesday, April
22, but by this time, few people were still around. “It was
a strange feeling being out at that time,” recalls Randy
Rapacz, one of the operators who stayed to continue
working on the utility, even though his own home had been
completely submerged. “There was no traffic in town.
Everything was shut down, and the only people there were
emergency personnel.” No-wake restrictions were in place
for the few boats and vehicles in the city to keep the water
from sweeping away sandbags that were protecting
emergency locations as well as the water plant.
The water plant resumed operations on Friday, April 25.
By this time, Jim King, the city’s water and light distribution
superintendent, had made the decision to handle electrical
service while delegating water restoration to others. Boyce
and Hultberg concentrated on operations while Jeff Olson
was left to oversee distribution. “It was more than I could
fathom,” Olson said of the task facing him. However, he
ended up with help in the form of the army that Lamm had
promised.
Floods—Continued on page 4
and disinfect the reservoir, which could have taken several
On Saturday, April 19, the morning after Lamm returned
days.”
home, he had begun making phone calls around the state,
Before dealing with the Point, though, the volunteers
only to find that many others in the water industry were
began isolating a line extending north to the city’s main water
doing the same thing. Gerald Mahon, the public works
tower. “Our first priority was the restoration of fire
director for St. Cloud, was instrumental in organizing the
protection,” said Lamm, who oversaw the volunteers. “Once
effort, taking the names of those willing to pitch in, and
we had this line isolated, we began filling it. We spent twocoordinating the logistics of getting help to East Grand Forks.
and-a-half days trying to keep that line isolated in addition to
The response was overwhelming.
isolating sections of the neighborhood
During the final week of April, a cadre
where there was water leaking
of volunteers from 11 Minnesota
through into the areas we didn’t want
cities—Mary Hiber and Dan Ludden
it to be in. Once that was done, we
of St. Paul; Joe Munn of Crookston;
kept spreading through the system,
Lyle Stai and Dale Segler of Willmar;
taking one section at a time and
Jeff Knutson and Dave Olmanson of
pressurizing it with heavily chlorinated
St. Peter; Jim Sweeney and Dan
water. By the time the north half was
McManus of Inver Grove Heights;
done, the flood water had receded
Paul Kuehn, Jeff Beilke, and Marv
from the Point, allowing us to
Stueber of New Ulm; Ron Woolery
continue there. By May 1, we had
and Rich Winkels of St. Cloud; Pat
restored fire protection to 90 percent
Conrad and John Violett of
of the city.”
of the volunteers, Jim Roskos of Rochester,
Bloomington; Wylie Rindels and Jim One
Cole explained the process in
celebrated his 50th birthday while helping out in
Roskos of Rochester; John Thom and East Grand Forks.
detail. “Street valves to branch mains
Bill LaLonde of Richfield; and Terry
all had to be shut off. After they
Rewertz, Lamm, Johnson, and Hams of Thief River Falls—
started charging the branch watermains, we could
loaded trucks with equipment and headed for East Grand
determine where there was plumbing damage. At those
Forks, not sure of where they would stay, not sure of how
places, we shut the curb stop off. We worked from hydrant
they would eat, not sure of what would be facing them. The
to hydrant, bringing the chlorinated water down to one, then
one thing they were sure of was that the community needed
moving on to the next one, opening and closing street valves
help.
to control the flow of water.”
In addition to the utility workers, Larry Cole, an MDH
After dealing with the line going to the main tower to
district engineer, moved into the water plant on Friday, April
the north, the volunteers branched out into a residential
25th, and made it his home (Cole and the other temporary
area between U. S. Hwy. 2 and the water plant, then
residents dubbed their quarters the “Hultberg Hilton” after
down toward the business district. The crews tracked their
the city’s water plant superintendent) for two weeks, taking
progress on maps on the wall at the treatment plant.
a one-day break in the middle of the ordeal when he was
“At the end of each day, everyone came in and marked
spelled by fellow MDH engineer Dave Schultz. Cole and
what he or she had gotten done on the map,” said Lamm.
Schultz had already been up to the area, in Schultz’s
“That way, everyone knew what was completed and what
airplane. On Tuesday, April 22, the two had flown over the
we had left to do.”
area, taking videos that proved to be helpful in determining
The volunteers marveled at the energy of the 62-year-old
whether reservoirs in East Grand Forks, as well as in towns
Ebertowski, who worked long hours in the field, helping the
and rural water systems to the north, had been flooded and
crews with locating valves and meters. Back at the plant,
would have to be disinfected.
Terry Spear and Veronica Kostrzewski staffed the phones,
The information was valuable, particularly in the case of a
which rang continuously, dealing with callers as well as
two-million gallon underground reservoir on an area known
in-person visitors for both water and electric issues. “These
as the Point, a finger of land between the Red River and the
two women dealt with distraught customers with
Red Lake River, in East Grand Forks. Cole said, in addition
compassion, firmness, and professionalism,” Lamm added.
to the visual inspection, they took bacterial samples, which
“Their’s was probably the toughest job of all.”
were negative, and chlorine samples, to ensure that the waFollowing restoration of fire protection, the focus shifted
ter still had an adequate residual. They also studied plans to
to the potability of the water (a boil order was in effect
see if flood water could have backed into the overflow. “We
during this period). Virtually all of the more than 400 samples
measured down to the water level, measured the invert
taken were negative. The areas that produced positive
elevation of the overflow, and found the water was three
samples were kept isolated and dealt with separately.
inches below the overflow,” said Cole, “so we could
“Once everything tested clean,” said Lamm, “we went
determine that the water hadn’t come into the overflow and
back through and started the process again. The plant made
backed into the reservoir—and it obviously hadn’t come in
the changeover from free residual chlorine to a chloramine,
the vent structure or the access manhole.
which is what they normally use.
“This [knowledge] saved a lot of time since we could save
“We worked through the whole system, flushed it all out
the two million gallons and begin flushing the Point area with
again, until we had it all the way through, and then started
this water rather than having to waste the water, then clean
sampling again.”
Floods—Continued
4
of treating its water, which it did after bringing in reverseosmosis package plants.
Communication, with each other and returning residents,
was a key part of the recovery—but, like almost anything
else during this time, it wasn’t easy. “Communications were
difficult if you used anything other than a portable radio or
walkie-talkie,” said Olson. “It was virtually impossible to call
in or out of the plant. Cellular phones weren’t much better;
the circuits were usually tied up by mid-morning.”
The city issued press releases and public service
announcements, informing residents about the utility’s efforts
to restore fire protection by pressurizing watermains. Since
this meant that homes with broken plumbing could
experience additional flooding, residents were asked to see if
they could safely turn off water at their meter, then tie a rag
to the front door as a signal to crews who were attempting to
close curb-stop valves in the most affected areas.
Lyle Stai of Willmar says during his two weeks in East
Grand Forks, he operated more than 250 curb stops, either
turning them off or turning them on.
Mud and debris left behind after the water receded
interfered with the simplest tasks. The mud was at first
slippery, impeding footing while working on a curb stop.
Within days, though, the mud had turned to dust that blew
into eyes and noses. But what hit Stai the hardest, at least
initially, was the smell of sewage. “It smells and stinks,” he
noted while in East Grand Forks. “Man, does it smell around
here. You get it [the smell] on your hands, on yourself, but
you get used to it.”
Despite the tough conditions, the crews kept their spirits
up. “Today will be better than yesterday” was the motto—
coined by Spear and Kostrzewski—that was posted on the
front door of the water plant. Another message appeared
after the Grand Forks Herald had a large headline stating,
“We’re Coming Back.”
The East Grand Forks utility workers responded with a
sign proclaiming, “We’re Still Here. We Never Left.”
The mottos helped, as did maintaining a sense of humor,
according to Steve Hams of Thief River Falls. “It was a
drastic situation, and we used a lot of humor to help us get
through it,” he says. “We did a lot of joking around while still
working hard.”
“It was amazing the help we had,” Jeff Olson said of the
volunteers who came to help. “We got the best of the best,
and we really appreciate what AWWA membership stands
for now.”
The struggle goes on as cities continue the difficult
recovery stage. For some, the worst may still not be over.
But the memories of last spring’s battles between people and
nature will never be forgotten by anyone involved.
All who lived through the floods of 1997 have their own
enduring impressions. Lyle Stai’s everlasting memory will be
the people of East Grand Forks. “They were beat up so
many times by the weather, from the snow and sleet storms
to the flood. Yet they were the nicest people you would ever
think of working for.”
Stai added that his two weeks in East Grand Forks were
“the most phenomenal thing I have done in my 26 years
working for a utility. Now, looking back on it, I wouldn’t
have traded it for anything in the world.”
Mary Hiber of St. Paul flushes and tests a main line near the
north tower.
On Friday, May 9, the final samples proved to be clean,
and, at 4:00 in the afternoon, the boil order was lifted. Much
work remained for the devastated city, as well as the utility,
but the water supply had survived with minimal interruption.
It was a remarkable feat in itself, but while dealing with its
own crisis, East Grand Forks was able to help its North
Dakota neighbor by providing water to Grand Forks, thanks
to an interconnection between the two cities that had last
been used in 1986. “The first two days the East Grand Forks
plant was back in operation [April 25 and 26], maintenance
staff were pulling the pump motors and contactors of the
transfer station on the Point so we could establish the
connection to put water into Grand Forks,” explained Cole.
Beginning shortly after midnight on Sunday, April 27, the flow
between the cities began, continuing for about three-and-ahalf hours, long enough to allow Grand Forks to purge the air
from its lines and get the plant operating again by the next
day.
Residents returning to East Grand Forks were grateful for
the efforts of the volunteers, but there was occasional
rancor. Any break in operations was expensive for
American Crystal Sugar, a large sugar beet producer and a
heavy water consumer. However, fire protection and other
priorities had to be taken care of before the business
community could again be served. “They wanted to resume
operations and needed water,” said Lamm, adding that he
could understand their anxiety. However, Lamm began
feeling pressure when the company sent an official to city
hall, urging the city leaders to restore water to the facility.
The situation changed, however, when American Crystal
Sugar management met personally with Lamm, who showed
them the progress maps and flow charts of the restoration
plan. “When they understood the extent of the damage and
contamination,” Lamm said of American Crystal Sugar, “they
offered the full resources and cooperation of their
organization. They became team players.”
Jeff Olson explained another concern with American
Crystal Sugar. “They put out an edible product. All their
processing needed water that was potable.”
The water utility finally began charging American Crystal’s
fire lines after being assured that the factory had the means
5
PWS Profile
John Schnickel
alter plans to sleep on a beach when he learned a
curfew was in place because of
guerilla activity.
In 1984 John became the Director of
Environmental Health for the city of Minneapolis.
His work was diverse; he was involved in or
oversaw food and beverage regulations, animal
control, housing sanitation, water sampling, pest
control, and recycling. For a brief time following
this, he headed MDH’s food, beverage, and
lodging program and then conducted indoor-air quality
investigations for a private consulting firm.
John has been diagnosed with lymphoma and has
maintained his goal to have his life be the dominant force in
overcoming the disease rather than have the disease be
dominant in ordering his life. He has finished six months of
chemotherapy and now looks ahead to radiation. John says
the treatment results have been positive although he is
unsure of his next hairstyle. He adds that the thoughts, cards,
and prayers he received were important to him, and that he is
grateful that he did not ignore a minor but slightly unusual
symptom, a pinpoint sore throat, since this brought about an
early diagnosis to the lymphoma. “See a doctor when you
know something is wrong,” is his advice.
Although not admitting to a belief in astrology, John
feels his personality is reflected through his Gemini sign.
His quiet side is revealed through his love of classical music.
In addition, John is a season-ticket holder for the
Minnesota Orchestra, Children’s Theater, and Guthrie
Theater. He also meets weekly with the oldest active winetasting group in the state. Sports reveal his active side. He
especially enjoys downhill skiing, white-water canoeing, and
bicycling.
John and Susan have now been married for 25 years;
Andrew is 18 and Benjamin 15. Andrew challenges himself
phyically while Benjamin is the artistic child, displaying a love
of acting that has brought about performances at the Children’s
Theater, Guthrie Theater, and at his high school.
John is the Health Department Program
Coordinator for the Drinking Water Revolving Fund
and enjoys working with the enthusiastic and
creative staff on the program that, in his words,
“have don an excellent job in establishing the
groundwork for the program.” This is a return to
MDH for John. Soon after graduating from the
College of Biological Sciences at the University
of Minnesota in 1969, he joined the Food
Beverage, and Lodging program at MDH, first
performing inspections, then coordinating development of
local programs and agencies around the state. During this
stint, John took a leave of absence to work on a massive
project in Saudi Arabia. A new city/port facility was being
built on the Red Sea at the terminus of a cross-country oil
pipeline. John developed the environmental health program
for the project and worked to ensure the quality of the food
and water. He reviewed blueprints, established standards,
and performed inspections. John says that living and
working in Saudi Arabia was an incredibly useful experience. “It really gave me the chance to put to use all that I
had learned about environmental health.” While others did
not enjoy the extreme heat (with humidity, John adds) and
remoteness of life in Saudi Arabia, John and his wife, Susan,
focused on the positive aspects of it. Traditional winter sports
were out, but they had the chance for some fantastic diving
in the Red Sea. They also did a great deal of traveling, along
with newborn son Andrew, from their Saudi base. By the
time Andrew was three, he had been to Victoria Falls, Mount
Everest, the Great Pyramids, and the Taj Mahal. Before
moving back to the United States in 1982, John and Susan
had another son, Benjamin.
Overall, John has been to 30-35 countries but claims his
timing in visiting various destinations has been suspect. For
example, he was staying a half-block away from a
presidential palace when a coup took place, he was a block
away from a terrorist bombing, he was mistaken for
someone and shot at by riot police as a result, and he had to
1997 Ten States’ Standards
Now Available
The Recommended Standards for Water Works
(Ten States’ Standards) 1997 Edition came out at
the end of August and is available by calling Health
Education Service at 518/439-7286. The Ten States’
Standards, which is revised every five years, are a
valuable resource for both engineers and water
operators.
APO Issued
A forgivable administrative penalty order (APO)
was issued last March to Tamarack Court Mobile
Home Park, PWS 1730058, for failure to submit
lead, copper, bateriological, and nitrate samples. The
system did not respond, and the matter was turned
over to the attorney general’s office for collection
on June 24, 1997.
Waterworks Quiz
1. Vertical-turbine pumps that are used in wells may be oil
lubricated or water lubricated. Operators should use
extreme care not to start any water-lubricated pump before
making sure that:
a. the bearings are dry.
b. the bearings are wet.
c. the valve on the discharge side is closed.
d. the valve on the suction side is closed.
2. The letters or units “gpm” appearing on a flow-rate
indicator in a pumping station means:
a. Gallons Per Man.
b. Gallons Per Mile of sewer line.
c. Gallons Per Minute.
d. Gilbert Puked in the Malt.
BONUS QUESTION
Translate: Scintillate, scintillate asteroid minific.
Answers on page 7.
6
The Northwest Water Operators’ School will be held at the Best
Western in Fergus Falls from Tuesday, December 2 through
Thursday, December 4. The agenda includes an operator breakfast
with business meeting (at which a Vice Chair and Director will be
elected), product exposition, hands-on workshops at the Fergus Falls
Water Treatment Plant, and a panel discussion on last spring’s floods.
Registration is $65 ($80 at the door or after November 21). A
block of special-rate guest rooms is being held by the Best Western
until November 18. Call 1/800/293-2216 and mention the Water
Operators to reserve a room.
A slew of one-day schools are being held throughout the state this
fall. Information on registration is contained at the bottom of the
form below with phone numbers for contact people in the Calendar
on the back page.
1998 Metro School
The 1998 Metro School will be at the Thunderbird Hotel in
Bloomington from Wednesday, April 1 through Friday, April 3. An
Exam Prep will be held at the Crystal Community Center on Monday,
March 23. Registration information will be available in the Winter
1997-98 Waterline with a complete agenda for the school in the Spring
1998 Waterline.
1997-98 AWWA District Officers
Northeast District
Chair—Floyd Nelson, Hoyt Lakes
Vice Chair—Tom Sakry, International Falls
Director—Jack Olin, Duluth
Central District
Chair—Bill Spain, St. Cloud Technical College
Vice Chair—Gary Peters, Wadena
Director—Dave Schultz, MDH
Secretary—Allen Anderson, Thein Well Co.
Metro District: Dave Peterson of Brooklyn
Center has replaced Mike Lauseng as Vice Chair.
Answers to Quiz:
1. b
2. c
Bonus Question: Twinkle, twinkle little star.
Operator School Training News
REGISTRATION FORM
You may combine multiple fees on one check if more than one person is attending a school; however, please make a copy
of this form for each person. Questions regarding certification, contact Karla Peterson at 612/215-0761. Questions regarding
registration, contact LeAnne Workcuff at 612/215-0787.
Northwest School, December 2-4, 1997, Best Western, Fergus Falls. Fee: $65 ($80 after November 21 or at the door).
Check here if you would like to receive an exam application. (Applications must be submitted at least 15 days
prior to the exam.)
Check here if you would like to receive a study guide.
If you have any special dietary needs, please indicate them here:
Please print:
Name
Address
City
Zip
Day Phone
Employer
Please enclose the appropriate fee. Make check payable to Minnesota Department of Health. Mail this form and
fee to Public Water Supply Unit, Minnesota Department of Health, 121 East Seventh Place, Suite 220, P. O. Box 64975, St.
Paul, Minnesota 55164-0975.
Registration for the following schools must be sent to the person listed:
October 7, Suburban Utilities Superintendent’s School, Brooklyn Center Civic Center. Fee is $20. Send to John Hill,
Crystal Utilities, 4141 Douglas Drive North, Crystal, Minnesota 55422 (checks payable to SUSA).
October 16, Southwest School, Best Western Marshall Inn. Fee is $20 ($25 at the door). Send to Mark Sweers, Minnesota
Department of Health, 410 Jackson Street, Suite 150, Mankato, Minnesota 56001 (Checks payable to Minnesota AWWA).
October 29, Central Minnesota School, St. John’s University, Collegeville. Fee is $25. Send to Duane Johnson, St. Cloud
Public Utilities, City Hall, 400 2nd Street South, St. Cloud, Minnesota 56301 (checks payable to Minnesota AWWA).
October 31, Southeast Minnesota School, Blooming Prairie. Contact Paul Halvorson, 507/285-7289.
7
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, Best Western
Marshall Inn, Marshall, Contact Mark
Sweers, 507/389-2501
*Northwest Waterworks Operators’
School, Best Western, Fergus Falls,
December 2-4, Contact Stew Thornley,
612/215-0771
*Suburban Superintendents School,
October 7, Brooklyn Center Civic
Center, Contact John Hill, 612/531-1166
Teleconferences
Contact Jodi Bening, 612/591-5433
November 13, Public Involvement
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)
Contact Paul Halvorson, 507/2857289
October 31, Blooming Prairie
*Central Minnesota Waterworks
Operators’ School, October 29, St.
John’s University, Collegeville, Contact
Duane Johnson, 320/255-7225
Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency
(Wastewater Operator Training)
Contact Emily Armistead, 612/296-7251
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
Waterline
Published quarterly by the Public Water Supply Unit
of the Minnesota Department of Health
Editor: Stew Thornley
Waterline staff: Dick Clark, Marilyn Krause, Cindy Swanson, Doug Mandy
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).
Minnesota Department of Health
121 E. 7th Place Suite 220
P. O. Box 64975
St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0975
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED