Where Is the Arsenic Rule . . .
This Month?
MDH Issues Annual
Drinking Water Report
By Karla Peterson
June 22, 2000 . . . proposed arsenic rule published
January 16, 2001 . . . final rule signed
January 20, 2001 . . . final rule stayed . . . until March 20,
2001
March 20, 2001 . . . final rule stayed again . . . until May
22, 2001
April 23, 2001 . . . request filed to stay again . . . until
February 22, 2002
January 2003 . . . final rule to be published
January 2006 . . . final rule to be effective
As its history indicates, the Arsenic Rule is not your
typical Safe Drinking Water Act rule, and there are many
reasons for the delays, some of them political. Here’s a few
things to keep in mind with the rule:
• Arsenic is not a regional issue and is found throughout the
United States.
• The treatment and disposal costs are significant.
• Standards for waste disposal of arsenic could be lowered.
• There is limited health-risk data at low-dose concentrations.
So when water operators ask what they should do about
the upcoming arsenic rule, I tell them to watch the news and
be ready with a plan to address the problem once the
maximum contaminant level is actually final.
MDH Takes Part in
Pharmaceutical Study
Volume Nine/1
Inside:
Upcoming Certification Exam Dates
June 5, Red Lake Falls
June 15, Brainerd
September 27, St. Cloud
October, Redwood Falls
October 2, New Ulm
October 17, Nashwauk
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has entered
into a cooperative agreement with the United States
Geological Survey to perform a study to determine the presence and concentrations of pharmaceuticals,
antibiotics, steroid hormones, and industrial contaminants in
selected surface waters in Minnesota and to determine if
concentrations of these chemicals are altered through
drinking water processing. Sampling began last October and
will continue through September of 2002.
Summer 2001
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) released its
annual report on the state of drinking water in Minnesota on
May 10 with a news conference at the St. Paul Regional
Water Services’ McCarrons Treatment Plant. Minnesota
Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm—along
with Pat Bloomgren, director of MDH’s Environmental
Health division—announced the results of monitoring done in
2000. Once again, the results indicate few problems and that
drinking water supplies in the state are generally in very good
shape.
The report is on the world wide web at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/dwp/pws/
dwpreport00.html
Past reports, going back to 1995, are also available on the
web at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/
consinfo.html#Drinking
October 23, Brooklyn Center
October 26, Winona
October 31, Collegeville
December 6, Thief River Falls
See calendar on back page for more details
Training News
Great Lakes Aquarium
Waterline Available Electronically
Fluoride Monitoring
Optional Interim Monthly Fluoride Monitoring
for Municipalities Serving Fewer than 3,300
By David Rindal
The current fluoride monitoring policy requires uniform daily sampling, testing, and reporting of fluoride consumption and
concentration. For several reasons, these daily reporting requirements are often more difficult to satisfy in communities with
populations of fewer than 3,300. In an effort to ease the monthly fluoride reporting burden for such systems, the Minnesota
Department of Health began implementing an interim monthly fluoride reporting policy on April 1, 2001. The interim policy is
as follows:
The fluoride feed container shall be observed daily. These observations may allow for detections of any fluoride
overfeeds. Measurements of the amount of fluoride consumed (from the feed container) shall be conducted and
recorded at least once during each calendar week. A single sample, drawn from the distribution system, shall be
collected, analyzed, and recorded at least once during each calendar week.
This interim reporting procedure will be an option for any community having a population under 3,300 and will be effective
through December 31, 2001. At that point, the interim policy may be implemented permanently through a rule change.
A slightly different version of the Fluoridation Monthly Report form is being developed to better enable the implementation
of this interim policy. While it is acceptable to continue the use of existing report forms, we recommend that those systems
opting to follow the interim procedure report their monthly fluoride data through the newer forms.
Please remember that this interim policy is a modification of the monthly fluoride monitoring and reporting policy only. No
changes are being made to the quarterly monitoring policies. Municipal water superintendents should continue to submit
quarterly fluoride samples to the MDH Laboratory.
Those with questions may contact their district engineers or may call me at 651/215-0788.
Minnesota AWWA Offers
One-Day Seminars
Drinking Water Institutes Set to Debut
The first two Drinking Water Institutes for teachers—an
initiative of the Minnesota Section AWWA Education
Committee—will occur this summer. The purpose of the
institutes is to have teachers learn about drinking water and
then write curriculum on the topic to take back to their
classrooms. It is hoped that, from this program, the state will
eventually have an ongoing group of high-school graduates
who are well-versed on drinking water by having this subject
as a key part of their K-12 education at four different grade
levels.
The initial institutes will be aimed at middle-school
teachers. The first one, to be held at the end of June in Eden
Prairie, will focus on treatment. AWWA members will present
the basic content while the Science Museum of Minnesota
will emphasize how to teach the material in an inquiry-based
method.
The second institute will be in early August in Monticello.
Water sources will be the main topic of this session, which
will be conducted with the participation of the American
Ground Water Trust of Concord, New Hampshire.
The Minnesota Section of American Water Works
Association (AWWA) is initiating a series of one-day training
seminars that will take place around the state. The first
session, Well Maintenance and Design, will be held
Wednesday, September 12 at the Best Western The Falls Inn
in Fergus Falls. The following Wednesday, September 19,
Winter Preparation Operation will be presented at the
Holiday Inn Express in St. Cloud. The cost of each seminar
is $50 for registrations made more than three weeks in
advance ($60 for later registration) and includes lunch. The
sessions will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with
registration beginning at 8:00. Participants will receive 6 credit
hours for their attendance.
The section plans to eventually conduct a seminar of this
type in each of the six districts each year. A registration
form for the September 12 and 19 seminars is on page 3.
November 1 Teleconference
to Focus on Distribution
Dates Set for 2002 Schools
This fall’s American Water Works Association (AWWA)
Satellite Teleconference, Distribution System Repair,
Replacement, and Maintenance, will be held Thursday,
November 1 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (with registration
beginning at 10:30). The downlink locations will be the
Hennepin County Technical College, 9000 Brooklyn
Boulevard in Brooklyn Park, Memorial Union Hall on the
campus of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks,
and Lake Superior College, 2101 Trinity Road in Duluth.
Participants will receive 4 contact hours.
Registration will be $65 by October 25 and $85 after
October 25, or at the door. All AWWA members will receive
registration information in the mail.
The 2002 Metro District Water Operators School will be
back at the Thunderbird Hotel in Bloomington from
Wednesday, April 3 to Friday, April 5.
The 2002 Northeast District Water Operators School will
be at the Holiday Inn in International Falls from Wednesday,
May 8 to Friday, May 10.
Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember, amateurs built the ark.
Professionals built the Titanic.
2
PWS Profile:
Waterline
Chad Kolstad
Published quarterly by the
Drinking Water Protection Section
Minnesota Department of Health
Editor:
Stew Thornley
Staff:
Dick Clark
Noel Hansen
Jeanette Boothe
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).
Chad Kolstad is a Graduate Engineer,
performing plan reviews in the Drinking
Water Protection Section. He previously
worked for the Minnesota Geological
Survey. Originally from Maribel,
Wisconsin (which is about 20 miles
southeast of Green Bay), Chad now lives
in St. Louis Park with his wife, Gail,
whom he married last June, and cat,
Marson. His parents, Lynn and Cindy
Kolstad, own a plumbing business in
Maribel, and Chad has a sister, Jenny,
who is attending the University of
Wisconsin at Whitewater. Chad enjoys
fishing, hunting, canoeing, sailing,
camping, water skiing, hiking,
snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing.
He recently went bow hunting for wild
bear and has made many fishing trips to
Rainy Lake, Lake of the Woods, and
Chippewa Flowage.
Past issues of the Waterline (in PDF format)are available at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/profinfo.html
Waterline: Have It Your Way
Newsletter Now Available by Mail or Electronically—or Both
In response to a request from some subscribers, you now have a choice on how
to receive the Waterline. You can continue to receive it each quarter by mail, or you
can be alerted via e-mail to the posting of the current issue of the Waterline on the
Minnesota Department of Health web page, or both. (On the web page, it will be in
a PDF file, so you will need an Acrobat Reader to view it.) If you wish to get the
e-mail alert, please contact Noel Hansen at:
[email protected]
Be sure to let him know if you still want to receive the Waterline by mail in
addition to be alerted by e-mail. The advantage of the e-mail alert is that the
Waterline will be posted in a PDF document several weeks before it will reach your
post-office mailbox.
Also, past issues of the Waterline, going back to the beginning of 1997, are now
on the MDH web page at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/profinfo.html
REGISTRATION FORM
Well Maintenance and Design, September 12, 2001, Best Western The Falls Inn, Fergus Falls. Fee: $50 ($60 after August
22 or at the door).
Winter Maintenance and Operation, September 19, 2001, Holiday Inn Express, St. Cloud. Fee: $50 ($60 after August 29
or at the door).
Please print:
Name
Address
City
Zip
Day Phone
Employer
Please enclose the appropriate fee. Make check payable to Minnesota AWWA. Mail this form and fee to Minnesota
AWWA, 26 E. Exchange Street, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101.
3
Rules Update
Disinfectant/Disinfection Byproducts Rule—Stage 1 and
Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule
In December of 1998, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency published final rules for Disinfectant/Disinfection
Byproducts and Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment. For large surface-water systems (serving a population of at least
10,000), these rules will be effective on January 1, 2002. Small surface-water systems (serving fewer than 10,000), as well as
all groundwater systems using a disinfectant, will have to comply with the Disinfectant/Disinfection Byproducts Rule—Stage 1
starting January 1, 2004. Small surface-water systems will need to comply with new surface-water treatment rules in the
future, but a regulatory deadline has not been set.
The Disinfectant/Disinfection Byproducts and Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment rules will tighten existing
standards and require more reporting of data by water systems to the Minnesota Department of Health. Here is a summary:
Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule
Disinfectant/Disinfection Byproducts Rule—Stage 1
1. Systems must monitor for chlorine or chloramine residual levels at 1. If TTHM levels exceed 64 µg/l or if HAA5 levels
exceed 48 µg/l, systems will have to conduct
the same locations and time as total coliforms are sampled. The
disinfection profiling daily for a 12-month period and
monthly average of disinfectant residual levels must be reported to
consult with MDH before changing any
MDH. The running annual average for disinfectant residuals
disinfection practices.
cannot exceed 4.0 parts per million.
2. Systems must monitor for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) and
haloacetic acids (HAA5) with the number of samples required based
on system size and type (surface water or groundwater.) The
maximum contaminant level for total trihalomethanes is 80
micrograms per liter (µg/l) or parts per billion (ppb); for haloacetic
acids, it is 60 µg/l or ppb.
3. Systems must develop a plan for TTHM, HAA5, and disinfectant
residuals monitoring. The plan must include the locations where
the samples will be collected. Surface systems serving more than
3,300 population must submit the plan to MDH. All other systems
must have the plan available for review by MDH and the public.
2. The combined filter effluent turbidity limit is
lowered from 0.5 to 0.3 nephelometric turbidity units.
Systems must monitor each filter continuously for
turbidity and report to MDH if the turbidity levels in
any individual filter exceeds specified limits. Also,
if the turbidity limits are exceeded, the system must
produce a filter profile if no obvious reason for the
exceedance can be determined. Repeated
exceedances of individual filter turbidity limits may
require a “Comprehensive Performance Evaluation”
be conducted for the entire treatment plant by a thirdparty evaluator.
4. Surface water systems must also monitor monthly for raw and 3. Significant deficiencies identified during a sanitary
survey conducted by MDH staff will need to be
finished water Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and raw water
responded to by the system within 45 days of
alkalinity. Systems will have to show that raw- or finished-water
notification by MDH, along with a schedule for
TOC levels are low or that specified percentage removals of TOC’s
corrective actions.
are achieved.
The above is just a summary of the two rules, which are very complex. If you have any questions concerning the rules, contact
your district engineer, Lih-In Rezania at 651/215-0763, or Dick Clark at 651/215-0747.
Safety Spotlight: Repetitive Motion Disorders
If you use the same hand or arm movement over and over in your work, you could be at risk for developing a repetitive
motion disorder (RMD). RMDs affect people in a variety of occupations. Sometimes it takes months or years before
symptoms of pain, fatigue, or tingling appear in hands or arms. If left untreated, some types of RMDs can cause permanent
injury. Fortunately, RMDs can often be prevented.
If you experience wrist or hand pain at work, or at home after work, tell
your supervisor and seek medical attention. The earlier you identify and treat
a repetitive motion problem, the more likely you will be able to prevent it from
becoming a serious disability.
Hand exercises play an important part in preventing RMDs. Doing the two
exercises shown here will strengthen wrist and hand muscles and relieve the
strain of performing repetitive motions.
Hand Stretch
Make a fist, then extend your fingers
as far apart as possible. Hold for about
10 seconds. Relax. Repeat the entire
sequence 5-10 times until hands and
fingers feel relaxed and energized.
Wrist Rotation
Make a fist and circle your entire hand (from
the wrist) in one direction, gently. Repeat 15
times. Switch directions and repeat 15 times.
Then, release your fists, and with fingers
extended, perform the same rotation.
4
Great Lakes Aquarium Open for Business
Sand filters are among the equipment in the Mechanical Room,
hidden from the view of the more than quarter-million visitors
who came to the Great Lakes Aquarium in its first year.
Facility Administrator Chuck Amborn explains the workings of
the Aquarium’s Life Support Mechanical Room to Jeanette
Boothe of the Minnesota Department of Health.
Open less than a year, the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth has already hosted more than a quarter-million visitors. The
major exhibits include an Isle Royale display, consisting of three separate aquariums—one that contains only native fish from
150 years ago, another that contains fish that currently inhabit Lake Superior, and a third that has lake herring, a major source
of food for predatory fish from the present and from years past. There is also an exhibit of the fast-flowing Baptism River,
with its brook trout, and the slower St. Louis River.
Some of the facility’s smaller aquariums have their own support systems, but the major exhibits are operated by a central
system. Chuck Amborn, the Great Lakes Aquarium Facility Administrator, says of the major displays, “We want them to
look as natural as possible. When you go to the Baptism River, you don’t see a lot of pipes.” That’s because the pipes, along
with other infrastructure components, are tucked away in the basement in the Aquarium’s Life Support Mechanical Room.
Hidden in this area, away from the eyes of visitors, is a multitude of equipment, including flow meters, sensors and
monitoring systems, and high pressure sand filters. Freon water chillers and a heat exchanger keep the displays at the proper
temperature. “We’re usually cooling the water rather than heating it,” says Amborn. “The ambient air temperature and the
equipment operation keep the water warm enough, but it may have to be cooled for many of the displays.” He adds that the
coolest display is Isle Royale, where the water is 55 degrees.
The Aquarium uses water from the city of Duluth, not from the bay outside the facility. Charcoal filters remove the
chlorine, and they can also add sodium thiosulfate for that purpose. The most extensive equipment consists of the 10 ozone
contact tanks, one for every major exhibit in the Aquarium. Generators produce the ozone, which is sent to the contact tanks
and mixed with water before going to the fish tanks upstairs. In addition to disinfecting the water and ridding it of germs that
could harm the fish, the ozone also removes dissolved solids to improve the clarity in the water.
Outside the Life Support Mechanical Room is a water quality laboratory as well as quarantine and autopsy rooms.
Ozone is generated to disinfect the water and improve its clarity. It is then pumped into a contact tank and mixed with water.
5
CALENDAR
Water Operator Training
Minnesota Section, American
Water Works Association
*June 13-15, Central Waterworks
Operators School, Cragun’s, Brainerd.
Contact Dick Nagy, 320/234-5151.
September 12, Well Maintenance and
Design, The Falls Inn, Fergus Falls.
Contact Stew Thornley, 651/215-0771,
or Scott Franzmeier, 651/290-6285.
September 19, Winter Maintenance
and Operation, Holiday Inn Express, St.
Cloud. Contact Stew Thornley, 651/2150771, or Scott Franzmeier, 651/290-6285.
*October, Southwest Water Operators
School, Redwood Falls. Contact John
Blomme, 507/537-7308.
Annual Conference, October 3-5,
Radisson Hotel, St. Paul. Contact Scott
Franzmeier, 651/290-6285.
*October 23, Suburban Superintendents School, Brooklyn Center West Fire
Department. Contact Mark Hartfiel,
763/585-7103.
*October 26, Southeast Water
Operators School, Winona. Contact Paul
Halvorson, 507/285-7289.
*October 31, Central Water
Operators School, St. John’s University,
Collegeville. Contact Dick Nagy,
320/234-4222.
*December 4-6, Northwest Water
Operators School, Best Western, Thief
River Falls. Contact Stew Thornley, 651/
215-0771.
Minnesota Rural Water Association
Contact Kyle Kedrowski,
1/800/367-6792.
*June 5, Control Systems, SCADA,
and Pumps, Red Lake Falls.
June 20, Operation & Maintenance,
Blooming Prairie.
August 7, Well Drilling, Monticello.
October 1, Operation & Maintenance,
Lonsdale.
*September 26-27, Exam Prep, St.
Cloud.
*October 2, Operation &
Maintenance, New Ulm.
October 3, Operation & Maintenance,
Princeton.
October 4, Operation & Maintenance,
Maple Grove.
*October 17, Operation & Maintenance, Nashwauk.
October 24, Securing Financing for
Small Systems, Detroit Lakes.
October 25, Securing Financing for
Small Systems, St. Cloud.
December 4, Winterizing Your Water
System, Rochester.
December 5, Winterizing Your Water
System, St. Cloud.
AWWA Teleconference
November 1, Distribution System
Repair, Replacement, and Maintenance, Brooklyn Park, Duluth, and
Grand Forks. Contact Stew Thornley,
651/215-0771.
Wastewater Training
Minnesota Rural Water Association
Contact Pete McPherson,
1/800/367-6792.
June 28, Wastewater Training, Frazee.
August 2, Trenchless Technologies,
Watertown.
August 7, Pump Training Session,
Hoyt Lakes.
September 11, Wastewater Training,
East Grand Forks.
September 27, Wastewater Training,
New London.
October 2, Wastewater Training,
Walker.
December 4, Wastewater Training,
Elbow Lake.
*Schools/meetings marked with an asterisk include a water certification exam.
To be eligible to take a certification exam, applicants must have hands-on
operations experience at a drinking water system.
For an up-to-date list of events, check the MDH web site at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/dwp/pws/dwopcert/wat_op_sched.html
Minnesota Department of Health
121 E. 7th Place Suite 220
P. O. Box 64975
St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0975
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED