Drinking Water in the Northlands
Northern climates can pose challenges for all sorts of different
situations, including the production and delivery of a potable
supply of water. Above is the Minnesota city of International
Falls, with a look at water towers for this city as well as for Fort
Frances, Ontario, across the river from International Falls.
—Speakers Wanted—
The Education Committee of the Minnesota Section—
American Water Works Association (AWWA) has
developed a multi-year model curriculum/training schedule
for use by the various AWWA districts in the state in
planning their water operator schools.
The training schedule is divided into three modules, each
of which contains two half-day sessions, which consist
of related topics. Districts choosing to follow the training
schedule can use a different module each year and complete
all the modules over a three-year period.
The initial response from the districts has been favorable
to the curriculum/training schedule, and many indicate that
they plan on using it in their schools. However, the districts
will need a roster of potential speakers to call on to deliver
the topics. It’s hoped that many of the speakers will be
water operators and distribution personnel.
On page 6 is a complete list of the curriculum/training
schedule. On page 7 is a form for those interested in
speaking to complete and submit.
Summer 1999
Volume Seven/1
Inside:
Even farther north is the city of Reykjavík, Iceland. This issue of
the Waterline profiles the drinking water systems of these cities.
See pages 4 and 5 for the full stories.
Upcoming Certification Exam Dates
June 18, Deerwood
September 15, Lake Benton
September 22, Waconia
October 5, Brooklyn Center
October 6, Bemidji
October 13, Hoyt Lakes
October 27, Collegeville
October 28, Wells
October 29, Albert Lea
December 2, Crookston
See calendar on back page
for more information
Annual Drinking Water Report
Water for People Update
Method Detection Limit Studies
Radon Monitoring Survey
Annual Reports Released
Teleconference Date
Changed to November 9
For the fifth-straight year, the Minnesota Department of
Health (MDH) has released a report on the state of drinking
water in Minnesota. Meanwhile, water systems began
issuing their first Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR).
MDH Drinking Water Report
On May 4, in conjunction with Safe Drinking Water Week,
the MDH drinking water program released its annual report,
Safeguarding a Precious Resource: A Summary of
Drinking Water Protection Activities in Minnesota—1998.
The report noted that, once again, water from public systems
was generally in good condition. Thirty community water
systems had to issue boil orders in 1998 as a result of testing
positive for bacterial contamination. All of the affected
systems were disinfected, flushed, and retested to ensure
that any contamination problems had been eliminated. There
were only two other contaminant violations—one for nitrate
and one for nitrite.
The report concluded with a section on emerging
issues, covering topics such as Consumer Confidence
Reports, the benefits and challenges of drinking water
disinfection, and revised standards for some contaminants,
including total trihalomethanes and arsenic. The report is
available on the world wide web at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/
divs/eh/dwp/pws/dwpreport.html
The date of this fall’s American Water Works Association
(AWWA) Satellite Teleconference has been changed from
October 21 to Tuesday, November 9. Enhanced
Coagulation and Other Treatment Technologies to
Comply with the Microbial/Disinfection By-products
(M/DBP) Rules is the topic, and it will run from 11:00 a.m. to
2:30 p.m. (with registration beginning at 10:30.)
The teleconference will cover the impacts of the M/DBP
regulations on utilities with specific focus on enhanced
coagulation, filtration, on-line turbidity meters, and other
techniques and principles that will help utilities monitor and
comply with the rule cluster. It is designed for distribution
system and water treatment plant operators, water quality
managers, supervisors and engineers, inspectors, water
utility general managers, and governmental regulatory and
enforcement personnel.
Registration will be $60 by November 1 and $80 after
November 1, or at the door. All AWWA members will
receive registration information in the mail. There will also
be a registration form in the Fall 1999 issue of the Waterline.
Radon Monitoring Survey
Beginning in July 1999, the Minnesota Department of
Health will be conducting a monitoring survey to determine
the occurrence of radon in public drinking water supplies in
approximately 200 public systems. The purpose of the
survey is to identify from a statewide perspective the levels
of radon occurring in public water supplies. The 200 public
supplies to be monitored will be chosen to provide a variety
of geological settings, system configurations, and
geographical distribution. “We are hopeful that, by including
a large variety of factors in selecting our sampling sites, we’ll
be able to make some meaningful assessments as to where
and under what conditions radon is occurring in Minnesota
public water supplies,” said Dick Clark, supervisor of the MDH
Community Water Supply Unit. The samples will be
collected between July and December of 1999, and the
results will be reported to the public water supplies as they
become available. The Health Department is conducting the
survey in anticipation of the U. S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s upcoming drinking water rules for
radon which are scheduled to be finalized by August 2000.
Consumer Confidence Reports
Mandated by the 1996 amendments to the federal safe
drinking water act, Consumer Confidence Reports are
required to be issued by all community water systems in the
United States beginning this year. In early April, MDH sent
each of the 958 community systems in the state the basic
information on its water source and monitoring information
that is needed for the report. Many systems have expanded
their reports to include additional information on their
treatment processes.
The city of Richfield has done this and used its CCR as
part of a larger communications strategy. Richfield used inhouse public-relations staff to design the report. In addition
to the required information, the report included levels found
in both their raw and finished water on hardness and other
contaminants that can create aesthetic problems. Richfield
distributed its report in mid-April and used it to announce an
upcoming open house at the treatment plant, which drew
hundreds of residents on Saturday, May 1.
Waterline
Published quarterly by the
Drinking Water Protection Section of the Minnesota
Department of Health
Editor: Stew Thornley
Waterline staff: Dick Clark, Marilyn Krause,
Doug Mandy
To request this document in another format, call
651/215-0700; TDD 651/215-0707 or toll-free
through the Minnesota Relay Service, 1/800/627-3529
(ask for 651/215-0700).
Richfield residents had the chance to tour the city’s water
treatment plant at an open house on May 1.
2
Method Detection Limit Studies
By Susan Plank, MDH Certification Unit
Requirement:
Method Detection Limits (MDLs) are a requirement of the U. S.
Environmental Protection Agency and the Minnesota Department of
Health Certification program. A study must be conducted on an annual
basis and prior to the use of each new analytical procedure performed by
a laboratory. Detection limits give the laboratory information
necessary to determine whether the selected method or instrument is
capable of obtaining desired results. MDLs are also useful in
determining the level of precision a particular analyst is able to achieve.
Therefore, MDLs must be reproduced with each new instrument, method,
and/or analyst. The full text for the MDL procedure can be found
in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Part 136.3
Appendix B.
Procedure:
The analyst prepares a standard in
laboratory reagent water at a concentration
close to the expected MDL. The sample is
analyzed seven times, and a standard
deviation is calculated. The deviation is
multiplied by a statistical value called the
student’s “t” value. The result of this
calculation is the Method Detection Limit. If
the MDL meets certain acceptance criteria
(result is within certain ratio requirements and
recoveries of the standard are satisfactory),
then the study is considered valid.
More Information:
Further explanation of this and other quality-related topics will be presented at training events co-sponsored by the
Minnesota Department of Health and the American Water Works Association. For more information on upcoming training
opportunities, please contact Susan Plank, Training Coordinator for the MDH Certification Unit, at 612/676-5674 or see the
calendar on page 8.
Exploring the Bowels of the Twin Cities
Staff from the Minnesota Department of Health’s Section of Drinking Water Protection had the opportunity in recent months to see
some of the normally unseen parts of the Minneapolis and St. Paul water systems. Dick Wetzel of the St. Paul Water Utility took the
group through two areas of his city’s infrastructure. The top photos show a 30-million gallon reservoir that was empty at the time.
Built in 1918, the reservoir is drained every 15 years for cleaning and maintenance, allowing for the rare opportunity to view its
columns and arches. Wetzel also led the MDH staff through the sand-rock tunnels beneath downtown St. Paul that carry various
utilities, including water mains (bottom left). The tunnel was excavated by immigrants in 1880. The bottom right photo is of a tour
led by Minneapolis Water Works engineer Marie Asgian (at far left) of the system’s reservoir outside of its softening plant.
The addition of a liner and replacement of expansion joints in the roof is among the work being done, along with the installation of
four baffle walls to provide for a serpentine pattern for the water as it passes through the reservoir.
3
Taking Control of Its Water Destiny
Fighting Turbidity with Turbidity
The lack of turbidity in the raw water has been a major
operational challenge since the plant opened, according to
Tom Sakry, the treatment plant superintendent. It hampers
the effectiveness of the flocculation stage, making it difficult
to bring together colloidal particles—including viruses,
protozoa, and bacteria—so they can be precipitated out.
The plant initially used alum as a coagulant but had to add
soda ash to the head of the plant to make the alum function.
“We had to produce the mini-floc recirculating back to the
head of the plant in order to form a nucleus for our floc to
form on,” Sakry explains. One-and-a-half years ago, the
plant switched from alum to Nalco Ultrion 8155 and
a non-ionic polymer with a higher molecular weight than alum.
It enhanced the overall formation of the floc, resulting in
improved sedimentation that has lowered the finished-water
turbidity.
Although it may seem paradoxical, it is necessary to
increase raw-water turbidity to decrease finished-water
turbidity. “You have to dirty it up to clean it up,” says Cindy
Cook of MDH.
Sakry says the Ultrion 8155 is “a bit more expensive but
worth it.” In addition to the Ultrion reacting more quickly
than alum in the water—particularly when the water is
cold—it has helped in optimizing the system by eliminating a
great deal of sludge and requiring less water for backwashes.
In many ways, the city of International Falls, Minnesota, is
dominated by the paper-processing firm of Boise Cascade.
The bridge across the Rainy River, which connects the city
with Fort Frances, Ontario, is owned and operated by
Boise Cascade. The public is allowed to drive across the
bridge—for a fee.
But while international access in the area may be under
the control of a conglomerate, no longer is that the case with
International Falls’s most precious resource—its supply of
drinking water. Until 1991, the city had purchased its water
from the Boise Cascade Corporation. Boise Cascade used
20 million gallons a day in processing paper products and sold
approximately 1.2 million gallons a day to the city of
International Falls for its water supply. The treatment
performed on the water was alum flocculation plus the
addition of fluoride and chlorine.
In the mid-1980s, the city began exploring options to
construct its own water treatment plant. Boise Cascade
encouraged International Falls in these efforts and even
arranged for an exchange of land to provide the city with a
site along the Rainy River for the facility.
Having to treat all its water to potable standards, even
though only a small percentage of it would be used for
drinking purposes, was hardly efficient for Boise Cascade; in
the late 1980s, the mill embarked on a major expansion that
increased its use of processed water by a third, which would
have made it even less feasible to treat the entire
supply. Other issues were the mill’s desire to use coagulants
that weren’t allowed for drinking water as well as a concern
about the ability to meet tougher drinking water standards.
Fortunately for all concerned, in 1991 a water treatment
plant went on-line in International Falls. (Boise Cascade
continued to produce its own process water and began
purchasing potable water from the city.) For the treatment
plant, water is taken from the Rainy River at a depth of 26
feet with the intake extending more than 1,200 feet from the
United States shore—within 30 feet of the Canadian border.
Larry Cole, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)
district engineer for the area, says water in the Rainy River
comes off the exposed bedrock of the Canadian Shield.
“There’s nothing to erode into it,” says Cole, adding that the
river’s pristine qualities aren’t necessarily good in terms of
treatment. “It makes for the most difficult water to treat:
soft and low in turbidity—and cold besides.”
Filter Stages
The flocculation occurs in the first stage of the filters.
The water then flows down through a bed of granular media
(anthracite and sand), trapping the particles that are larger
than the filter pores. Particles smaller than the pores
become attached to the granular media of the filter by
adsorption. Following filtration, the water is disinfected with
chlorine and chloramines; the treatment process is
concluded with the addition of fluoride before the water
enters the distribution system.
The treatment plant serves the residents of International
Falls as well as the nearby city of Ranier. “The plant is
making good quality water,” Sakry says. “That I’m very
proud of.”
Tom Sakry, on the banks of the Rainy River with Fort Frances,
Ontario, in the background, has been the water superintendent
at International Falls since 1991.
4
Thetta Kemur Allt Med Kalda Vatninu
Water in Iceland as Pure as It Comes
To visitors, Iceland is known for its hot springs and the
Icelandic legend claims that the spring water blessed
therapeutic qualities they are said to bring. To residents, the
by Gudmundur Arason—an 11 th-century bishop—
island’s primary therapeutic qualities are not from the
was not only exceptionally healthy, it contained
geo-thermal springs, but rather from cold water, among the
supernatural characteristics that allowed it, among
purest in the world.
other things, to extinguish fires faster than other
Water supplied to Reykjavík, the country’s capital and
water.
largest city, is pumped untreated to homes from holes
ranging from 10 to 80 meters below the surface to underA more recent legend attesting to the quality of the
ground wells and springs, which are well protected from atwater involves a New York laboratory that was
mospheric or surface soil pollution. Because of Iceland’s
unable to detect any impurities in samples of water
isolation and sparse population, air pollution is not a problem
from Iceland. Unconvinced that any water could be
compared to other industrial nations. As a result, the
this pure, the laboratory technicians were convinced
conditions are favorable to the production of potable water.
their analytical equipment was not operating
From the beginning, Iceland’s existence has depended on
properly but had no more success in finding
water; the island’s first settlers relied on access to potable
malfunctions in their equipment than they had in
water when choosing their settlement. It wasn’t until early
finding impurities in the water.
in the 20th century, however, that work began on a water
works company for the city of Reykjavík.
In 1994, water works companies in Iceland
On June 16, 1909, water started to run through
were classified by law as food production
a pipeline that extended from the Elliða-rivers to
companies, bringing about strict regulations that
Reykjavík, a process that began Reykjavík
specified food safety measures and health care
Water Works. Later in the year, the pipeline was
issues. The following year Reykjavík Water
continued to Gvendarbrunnar, a spot in Heiðmörk,
Works decided to adopt and tailor a quality
a national park east of Reykjavík where the
control system to its processing needs, according
primary sources of water—wells, springs, and
to the criteria of ISO 9000 standards. In addition
reservoirs—are located.
to having its water tested and analyzed
The completion of the water
system brought about a sharp rise in Above is the Water Carrier sculpture, signifying on a regular basis by the Reykjavík
consumption among Reykjavík the importance of water to Iceland. Below are Health Authority, the water works
residents, as they went from an geo-thermal water storage tanks, surrounding company has an internal quality
average of 18 liters per person per day the Pearl Restaurant. Geo-thermal water has a control system that fulfills the
smell since it contains a small quantity requirements for a food production
to more than 200 liters. In the distinct
of dissolved hydrogen sulfide. Water is free of company and aims to be one of the
ensuing years, as the population of the bacteria, and the calcium content is low, making
city grew, with it came an increased it good for washing. For showers, the water first water companies in the world with
demand for water, reaching a maxi- temperature is adjusted not through the addition a certified quality system, a
mum level in 1986, when Reykjavík of cold water but by directly regulating the designation that will be important for
Water Works produced 30 million tons temperature of the hot water being delivered. the country’s exporters when trading
in foreign markets.
of water and requiring a wider and
“In the near future,” says
more complex distribution network.
Guðmundur Þóroddsson, the
Although the population of
managing director of Reykjavík
Reykjavík continued to rise, the
Water Works, “food production
amount of water distributed has been
companies will probably be
steadily declining since 1986, thanks
demanding certified quality water.”
to a series of conservation measures
The total number of customers
taken by the Reykjavík Water Works,
supplied by Reykjavík Water Works is
including the use of computerized
approximately 134,000; this number includes the nearby
listening devices, which have enabled engineers on the ground
communities of Kópavogur, Seltjarnarnes, and Mosfellsbær,
to locate leaks in the underground pipelines.
which purchase water from the company but have their own
In addition to employing the latest technologies in
distribution system.
detecting leaks, conservation measures involve the constant
“Thetta kemur allt med kalda vatninu.”
renewal and repairs of old pipelines through
Translated literally, this means “It’ll be all right when
trenchless digging, a more thorough monitoring of the
the cold water comes.” This phrase was first used when
distribution system, and a campaign to educate consumers
Reykjavík Water Works was in the planning stages more than
on economical use of water. In the last ten years, despite a
90 years ago.
considerable increase in the city’s population, Reykjavík
It is still used today as a phrase meaning, “In the end,
Water Works has reduced the amount of water pumped by
everything will be all right.”
one-third.
5
Model Curriculum/Training Schedule
Here is a list of the modules discussed in the article on page 1 regarding the model curriculum/training schedule
developed by the Minnesota Section—AWWA Education Committee. Anyone interested in presenting any of the
individual topics within each of the modules is asked to complete the form on page 7 and submit it to the Minnesota
Department of Health. Each of the two subgroups within the modules are intended as half-day sessions with the time
allotted for most of the individual topics from 30 to 45 minutes.
Module 1
Water Sources
Hydrology
Well Design and Construction
Pump Design and Selections
Source Water Protection
Electric Power Management
Module 2
Distribution System
Hydrants—Selection and Maintenance
Meters
Backflow Prevention
Pipe Selection
Valves
Customer Service
Safety Awareness
Emergency Planning
Recordkeeping
Water Quality
Water Chemistry
Regulations
Bacteriological Problems/Boil Orders
Conservation/Public Awareness
Contaminants
Leak Detection
Laboratory Analysis
Water Audits
Sampling Techniques
Main Breaks
Correlators
Plumbing Code
Don’t Drink the (Bottled) Water
Module 3
Treatment—Basics and Different
Types
Softening
Iron and Manganese Removal
Chemical Treatment: Fluoridation
Chlorination, Phosphates, Polymers
Filtration
Process Control
Troubleshooting
Process Control
Instrumentation/Controls
Water for People
By Scott E. Anderson
Study Raises Concerns about Bottled Water
A study released last March by the Natural Resources
Defense Council (NRDC) revealed that people who buy bottled
water cannot be sure that it is any safer than tap water.
“Blanket reassurances from the bottled water industry that
bottled water is totally safe and pure are false,” the report
asserts. “No one should assume that just because water comes
from a bottle it is necessarily any purer or safer than most tap
water.” NRDC had sampled 1,000 bottles of water sold under
103 brand names. In 23 of brands, at least one bottle had
contaminants with levels in excess of standards set by the state
of California. Many of the violations were for contaminants
such as arsenic and synthetic organic chemicals, which can
cause adverse health effects if consumed at elevated levels
over a long period of time; however, in 18 of the brands, at
least one bottle was found to contain more bacteria than would
be allowed under guidelines for microbial purity that are
recommended by some states. Bacterial contamination can
cause immediate illness. NRDC is seeking stricter federal
controls on bottled water, either by tightening the regulations
imposed by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration or by
transferring jurisdiction to the Environmental Protection
Agency.
2000 Metro School Scheduled
The Water for People project for the Minnesota Section
of the American Water Works Association is again this year
sponsoring the Mexico-Tarahumara Well Project, which
consists of the installation of wells with hand pumps for
communities in the Copper Canyon area of northern Mexico.
The project benefits 200 people. The cost, which includes
the construction of latrines, is $2,300 per well.
The first fund raiser was held at the Southeast District
Water Operators’ School held in Rochester. A raffle was
held for a $50 sporting goods gift certificate (won by Brent
Bunke of Rushford) and a Water for People t-shirt (won by
Doug Bendorf of Owatonna). The operators really stepped
forward and supported the cause. We raised $172 for the
project. A BIG THANKS goes out to those who
participated.
We plan to hold raffles at
other events during the year.
So you all will have an
opportunity to step up and
help the Water for People
project. Your support is
greatly appreciated. Just
look for the guy with the
bucket!
Scott Anderson, the man
with the bucket, is the
superintendent of utilities for
St. Louis Park and chair of
the Minnesota Section—
AWWA Water for People
project.
The dates for the 2000 Metro Waterworks Operators’
School have been set for Wednesday, April 5 to Friday,
April 7. It will again be at the Thunderbird Hotel in
Bloomington. Registration forms will be in the Waterline
in the Winter 1999-2000 and Spring 2000 issues.
6
Speaker Form
Please print:
Name
Title
Employer
Address
City
Zip
Day Phone
E-mail
What is the topic you would be willing to present?
(See the training schedule on page 6 for a list of topics needed to be covered.)
How much time would you need for your presentation?
What type of audio-visual equipment would you need?
When and where you would be willing to present this topic?
Three-day schools are held throughout the Minnesota Section in the following parts of the state at the following
times. Please check those that you would be willing to speak at.
Southeast District (Rochester)—Late March
Metro District (Bloomington)—April
Northeast District (Ely, Eveleth, or Two Harbors)—May
Central District (Brainerd Lakes Area)—June
Northwest District (Moorhead, East Grand Forks, Fergus Falls, Detroit Lakes, Crookston, or Thief River
Falls)—Early December.
In addition, one-day schools are held in many of these districts, as well as in the Southwest District, in April and
October. Which of these would you be willing to present at?
Please return this form to Stew Thornley, Minnesota Department of Health, P. O. Box 64975, St. Paul,
Minnesota 55164-0975.
These forms will be passed on to the individual districts. You may be contacted by members of the individual
planning committees if they would like you to present at their schools.
7
CALENDAR
Minnesota Section, American
Water Works Association
*June 16-18, Central Waterworks
Operators’ School, Ruttger’s Bay Lodge,
Deerwood, Contact Dick Nagy, 320/
587-5151
Annual Conference, September 2224, Holiday Inn, Duluth, Contact Jim
Haugen, 651/558-2105
*October 27, Central Waterworks
Operators’ School, St. John’s University,
Collegeville, Contact Duane Johnson,
320/255-7225
*October 28, Southwest Waterworks
Operators’ School, Wells, Contact Mark
Sweers, 507/389-2501
*October 29, Southeast Waterworks
Operators’ School, Albert Lea, Contact
Paul Halvorson, 507/285-7289
*November 30-December 2, Northwest Waterworks Operators’ School,
Northland Inn, Crookston, Contact Stew
Thornley, 651/215-0771
Minnesota Rural Water Association
Contact Kyle Kedrowski, 1/800/3676792
June 9, Hayfield, Water Treatment and
Chemical Safety
June 16, Roseau, Distribution
Operations and Maintenance
*September 15, Lake Benton, Water
Conservation
*September 22, Waconia, Confined
Space
*October 6, Bemidji, Well Maintenance Safety and Repair
*October 13, Hoyt Lakes, Operation
and Maintenance
November 9, St. Cloud, Securing
Financing for Small Systems
November 10, Detroit Lakes, Securing Financing for Small Systems
December 8, Cloquet, Winterizing
Your Water System
December 9, St. Cloud, Winterizing
Your Water System
*Suburban Superintendents School
October 5, Brooklyn Center Civic
Center, Contact John Hill, 612/531-1166
AWWA Teleconference
November 9, Enhanced Coagulation and Other Treatment Technolo*Basic Water Operations
gies to Comply with the
Contact John Thom, 612/861-9168
Microbial/Disinfection By-Product
11-week course starting in Glencoe Rules, St. Paul and East Grand Forks,
the 2nd week of September
Contact Stew Thornley, 651/215-0771
Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency
(Wastewater Operator Training)
Contact Emily Armistead, 651/296-7251
June 23-25, Wastewater Treatment
Technology Seminar, Mankato Civic
Center
September 15-16, Land Application of
Biosolids Seminar, Holiday Inn, Brainerd
September 22-24, Wastewater
Treatment Technology Seminar,
Ruttger’s Lodge, Grand Rapids
September 29-30, Land Application of
Biosolids Seminar, Holiday Inn, New Ulm
October 20, Pond Troubleshooting
Workshop, Holiday Inn, Willmar
October 28-29, Industrial Operations,
Thunderbird Hotel, Bloomington
November 2-4, Collection System
Basic Workshop, Maplewood Inn
November 16-18, Land Application of
Biosolids Seminar, Holiday Inn, Austin
December 1-3, Wastewater
Treatment Technology Seminar,
Maplewood Inn
*Schools/meetings marked with an asterisk include a certification exam
To be eligible to take a certification exam,
applicants must have hands-on operations experience at a drinking water system.
Minnesota Department of Health
121 E. 7th Place Suite 220
P. O. Box 64975
St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0975
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED