How Pure Is Pure?
New Drinking Water Page Now Available
on Health Department Web Site
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water
The Minnesota Deparment of Health (MDH) now has a web page exclusively for
its section of Drinking Water Protection. The following types of information are
available at http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water:
• Descriptions and contacts for various programs within the section
• Consumer Confidence Reports
• Annual drinking water report issued by MDH
• Certification and training news
• Information on the Drinking Water Revolving Fund
• Source Water Protection information
• Reporting and application forms
• Training calendar
• Brochures—in HTML and PDF formats
• Copies of current and past newsletters
Upcoming Certification Exam Dates
March 7, St. Cloud
March 29, Rochester
April 5, Bloomington
April, Southwest Minnesota
May 10, International Falls
June 14, Deerwood
See calendar on back page for more details
Spring 2002
Volume Nine/4
Reverse-osmosis, along with resin
exchange, is part of the process used to
manufacture the purest water in
Minnesota, water with impurities of less
than .1 parts per billion. Where and why
is this ultrapure water being produced?
For the answers, turn to page 4.
Inside: Training News
Arsenic Standard Lowered
New System for Coliform Samples
Training News
2002 Metro School
The 2002 Metro Waterworks Operators School will be held from Wednesday, April 3 to Friday, April 5 at the Thunderbird
Hotel in Bloomington. Participants will receive 16 credit hours for their attendance. Registration for the school is $105 ($130
after March 18 or at the door).
A registration form is on page 7. Those wishing to stay at the Thunderbird can make guest room reservations by calling the
hotel at 952/854-3411.
Friday, April 5
Wednesday, April 3
8:30-noon
• Welcome, Water for People, Youth Education Initiative
• Don Shelby, WCCO Television
• Water System Security and Counterterrorism
7:45
Breakfast
Featured Speakers:
Ron Schara and Raven,
Hosts of Minnesota
Bound
9:30
Product Exposition
with Mini-Sessions
• • • • •
1:00-4:00
• Exam Prep—Math
or
or
Treatment
• Softening
• Filtration
• Iron and Manganese Removal
• Chemical Treatment
or
9:30
Study Session
1:00
• • • • •
Certification Exams
Raven and Ron Schara
Waterworks Quiz
Process Control
• Troubleshooting
• Process Control
• Instrumentation/Controls
1. pH is a measure of:
a. conductivity.
b. water’s ability to neutralize acid.
c. hydrogen ion activity.
d. dissolved solids.
Thursday, April 4
8:00-11:30
Chemical Feed Systems
• Chlorination Equipment Maintenance and Troubleshooting
• Emergency Shutoff Systems for Chlorine Gas
• Peristaltic Pumps in the Environmental Marketplace
• Poly and orthophosphates
2. Which valve is most suitable for a throttling
application?
a. ball
b. check
c. gate
d. tapping
or
3. Dick Trickle is:
a. a phenomenon in which a leak cannot be fixed.
b. a brand name of a backflow protection device.
c. a stock car driver.
d. a movie about a sports agent, starring Tom Cruise.
Safety
• OSHA Inspections (and other topics)
or
• Exam Prep—General Operations
4. Which is the correct type of valve for controlling the
level of a treated-water storage reservoir that is below
the level of the hydraulic gradient?
a. altitude valve
b. check valve
c. pressure-relief valve
d. reduced-pressure backflow valve
• • • • •
12:30-4:00
Hands-on Training at Off-Site Locations
• Softening—Eden Prairie Water Plant
• Iron and Manganese Removal—Lakeville Water Plant
• Instrumentation and Controls—U. S. Filter
BONUS QUESTION
Translate this familiar statement:
Each holder of precipitation contains a lustrous edging.
or
Answers on next page
On-Site Hands-on Training
2
School News
The Southeast District School will take place from Wednesday, March 27 to Friday, March 29 at the Best Western Apache
in Rochester. Registration is $125 ($135 after March 15 or at the door). Room reservations can be made by calling the Best
Western at 1/800/552-7224 and mentioning Southeast Water Works (Group No. 238) to get a special rate.
The Southwest District will hold a one-day school in the southwestern part of the state in April.
The Northeast District School will be at the Holiday Inn in International Falls from Wednesday, May 8 through Friday,
May 10.
The form on page 7 contains registration information for the Southeast, Southwest, and Northeast schools.
The Central District School will be at Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge, outside Deerwood, from Wednesday, June 12 to Friday,
June 14. Ruttger’s has two-night room and meal packages for $308.85 based on single occupancy and $234.30 for double
occupancy. Contact Ruttger’s at 1/800/450-4544 to reserve a package. Operators and AWWA members in the Central,
Northeast, Northwest, and Metro districts will be receiving lodging and school registration forms in the mail. Others may obtain
the forms by calling Jeanette Boothe at 651/215-1321.
Participants in three-day schools will receive 16 credit hours; participants in one-day schools will receive 6 credit hours.
or
Exam Prep—Math
• • • • •
1:00 -4:00
• Flushing Techniques
• Watershed Management
• Wellhead Protection Update
or
Exam Prep—General Operations
Thursday, March 28, 2002
8:00-noon
• Operator Breakfast
• Exhibitor and Product Fair
• • • • •
1:00-4:00
Hands-on Sessions
Friday, March 29, 2002
8:00-noon
• Business Meeting
• Safety Videos—Chlorine, Office
Safety, Defensive Driving
• Minnesota Department of Health
Update
or
• Study Session
• Certification Exams
MRWA Conference
The American Water Works
Association has set Thursday, March 14
and Thursday, November 7 as the dates
for its 2002 teleconferences. The March
14 topic is The Basics of Waterborne
Pathogens. Registration will begin at
10:30 a.m. with the teleconference
running from 11:00 to 2:30. The downlink locations serving the Minnesota
Section will be the Hennepin County
Technical College in Brooklyn Park,
Memorial Union Hall on the campus of
the University of North Dakota in Grand
Forks, and Lake Superior College in
Duluth. All AWWA members will receive
registration information in the mail. A
registration form is on page 7.
The 2002 Minnesota Rural Water
Association (MRWA) Technical
Conference will be held at the St. Cloud
Civic Center from Tuesday, March 5
through Thursday, March 7. For more
information, contact the MRWA office
at 218/685-5197 or via e-mail at
[email protected].
Answers to Quiz
Bonus Question:
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Wednesday, March 27, 2002
9:00-noon
• Water System Security
• Attitudes toward Safety
• Youth Education Program
• Water for People
2002 Teleconferences
1. c
2. a
3. c
4. a
Southeast School Agenda
Arsenic MCL Lowered to 10 ppb
On October 31, 2001, the long-awaited final ruling on the new arsenic standard
was made by U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christie
Whitman, who announced that the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for arsenic
would be 10 parts per billion (ppb).
For nearly a half-century, the arsenic standard had been 50 ppb. However, in
response to concerns that this limit did not provide maximum public-health
protection, the EPA studied the issue and eventually decided to lower the MCL.
All public water systems must comply with the new standard by January 2006.
Arsenic occurs naturally in our environment. It is part of the earth’s crust. As a
natural component of underground rock and soil, arsenic works its way into
groundwater. In Minnesota, groundwater in the west-central and northwestern parts
of the state tend to have higher concentrations of arsenic, although arsenic can be
found throughout a large part of Minnesota.
Although no water systems in Minnesota are exceeding the existing limit of 50
ppb, it is estimated that as many as 60 to 80 community water systems will have to
install or upgrade treatment processes to meet the stricter standard of 10 ppb.
Community water systems will be sampling to determine the level of arsenic in
their water and will be receiving bottles from the Minnesota Department of Health
for the purpose of collecting the samples. Systems with arsenic above 10 pbb will
have to determine options to make decisions about actions to reduce arsenic levels.
A special half-day session on arsenic will be sponsored by the Minnesota
Department of Health and Minnesota Rural Water Association (MRWA) the
morning of March 6 at the MRWA Technical Conference in St. Cloud.
For more information, contact Karla Peterson at MDH at 651/215-0761.
3
The Purest Water in Minnesota
The purest water in Minnesota comes not from the deep
wells of Buhl—a city that has “Finest Water in Minnesota”
painted on its tower—nor from a pristine stream at elevations
far above any human or animal activity that could foul the
water.
The purest water—not just in Minnesota but anywhere in
the world—is not found in nature but rather is manufactured
through a treatment process that can reduce impurities to
under .1 part per billion (ppb). For the processing of their
products, semiconductor facilities routinely develop this type
of water, at rates up to 3,000 gallons per minute.
In smaller quantities, the purest water in Minnesota is
produced in a modest office/warehouse, operated by two
employees, in a northern suburb of St. Paul. David Blackford
and Tom Kerrick, who developed an instrument that
David Blackford, left, and Tom Kerrick in front of the non-volatile
measures the purity of water, now manufacture ultrapure
residue monitor that they manufacture and sell.
water for the purpose of testing and calibrating the
instrument, which they sell to semiconductor companies
Blackford left TSI to start Fluid Measurement Technologies
across the United States as well as in Europe and Asia.
in 1995; four years later, Kerrick followed and is the firm’s
Blackford—the president of Fluid
director of manufacturing and technical
Measurement Technologies, Inc. in
services. Under a licensing agreement with
Vadnais Heights, Minnesota—says their “You can’t bottle this stuff. TSI, Inc., Blackford and Kerrick continue
goal is to replicate the ultrapure water
to manufacture, market, and service the
being used by semiconductor companies. The moment you bottle it, NVR monitor.
“We try to get the same type of water they
Blackford says they have manufactured
have,” he says. “How pure the water it degrades. Whatever you water as pure as .1 ppb and that he has
needs to be for these companies depends
seen water produced as pure as .05 ppb
on the line-width of the electronic circuitry put it in will eventually (or 50 parts per trillion). The non-volatile
of their products. Some go down to .13
residue monitor can detect impurities down
microns and need water with residue of leach something into the to 10 parts per trillion.
less than 1 part per billion. If the water
The process to convert city water from
isn’t that pure, it will leave a residue on water, and it will no longer Vadnais Heights to ultrapure water
the surface of their silicon wafers,
consists of a pre-treatment loop and a
be high-purity water.”
causing problems with the operation of
purification and polishing loop.
the semiconductors.”
The pre-treatment begins with a carbon
While working together at TSI, Inc. in Shoreview,
filter to remove chlorine, followed by anion and cation resins
Minnesota, Kerrick and Blackford developed a non-volatile
for hardness removal. “The biggest issue is calcium, which
residue (NVR) monitor for ultrapure water in the late 1980s.
will foul our reverse-osmosis membranes,” Blackford says,
adding that the anion and cation beds operate like a
“superior water softener” and, unlike ion exchange
used in conventional water softening, don’t exchange
calcium for sodium, which would also have to be
removed.
After an ultraviolet (U-V) lamp destroys bacteria,
a pump recirculates the water back to the carbon
filter. “We never want the water to sit because it will
encourage bacterial growth,” Blackford explains.
“It has to be constantly moving.
“That’s why you can’t bottle this stuff. The
moment you bottle it, it degrades. Whatever you put
it in will eventually leach something into the water,
and it will no longer be high-purity water.”
The water continues circulating in the pre-treatment loop until there is a demand in the polishing
loop. A valve opens to allow water into a 65-gallon
Ultrapure water is produced to calibrate and test the non-volatile residue storage tank and then to the first of two ion-exchange
(NVR) monitor manufactured by Fluid Management Technologies, Inc. The beds, this one a mixture of anion and cation resins.
device can detect impurities in water down to 10 parts per trillion.
4
Pure Water—Continued on page 5
Pure Water—Continued from page 4
Downstream of the ion exhange beds
is a one-micron filter that serves as a resin
trap.
Next is the reverse-osmosis (R-O)
system, consisting of four membranes.
Then comes another ultra-violet lamp.
Unlike the U-V lamp in the pre-treatment
loop, which removes only bacteria, this
one gets rid of both bacteria and total
organic carbon.
Another ion-exchange bed treats the
water with semiconductor-grade virgin
resin. “The by-product of resin exchange
is pure water,” says Blackford. “The
combination of using both R-O and ion
exchange is what produces the very pure
water. Neither component by itself
would generate water of this quality.
Everything works together.”
A series of filters then finishes the
process. Two ultrafilters—which are in
parallel—have a rated 10,000-molecular
weight. A point-of-use filter, rated at .04
micrograms, is downstream of the ultrafilters and is the final component before
the water enters the distribution loop,
The pre-treatment loop, consiting of a
carbon filter to remove chlorine, anion and
cation beds, and a 20-micron filter above
the beds.
consisting of perfluoroalkoxy (PFA)
Teflon.
Blackford says the PFA loop is critical
to keeping the water clean since it
releases absolutely no impurities as it
brings the water from the polishing loop
to the instruments. The PFA Teflon is
also very expensive, comprising
approximately 40 percent of the total cost
of the water system.
After the water achieves its purpose—
calibrating the NVR monitor—it returns
to the storage tank and back into the polishing loop. Kerrick says it is significant
that they have no discharge of the water,
since the corrosive characteristics of such
pure water would make disposal of it a
challenge, requiring the use of holding
ponds as the water, in this condition,
could be classified as hazardous waste.
Blackford notes that ultrapure water
is in an “unstable state. People don’t
appreciate how corrosive high-purity
water can be. Water is desperate to get
back to its natural state, which is full of
impurities. With everything removed, it
becomes a very aggressive solvent.”
Expert Advice on Dating and Marriage
How do you decide whom to marry?
“People don’t really decide before they grow up who
they’re going to marry. God decides it all way before, and
you get to find out later who you’re stuck with.”
—Kirsten, age 10
What do most people do on a date?
“On the first date, they just tell each other lies, and that
usually gets them interested enough to go on a second date.”
—Martin, age 10
What would you do on a first date that was turning
sour?
“I’d run home and play dead. The next day I would call
all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in
the dead columns.”
—Craig, age 9
What is the right age to get married?
“No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to
get married.”
—Freddie, age 6
How can a stranger tell if two people are married?
“You might have to guess, based on whether they seem
to be yelling at the same kids.”
—Derrick, age 8
When is it okay to kiss someone?
“When they’re rich.”
—Pam, age 7
How would the world be different if people didn’t get
married?
“There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn’t
there?
—Kelvin, age 8
Is it better to be single or married?
“I don’t know which is better, but I’ll tell you one thing.
I’m never going to have sex with my wife. I don’t want to
be all grossed out.”
—Theodore, age 8
What do you think your mom and dad have in
common?
“Both don’t want any more kids.”
—Lori, age 8
How would you make a marriage work?
“Tell your wife that she looks pretty even if she looks
like a truck.”
—Ricky, age 10
5
Security Issues
New Video Series from
Sacramento State
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency has been given
the responsibility under Presidential Decision Directive 63 for
California State University, Sacramento has produced a
the protection of the nation’s critical water infrastructure,
“Small
Water System Information Video Series” consisting of
including the systems used to collect, treat, and distribute
ten
videos
and a learning booklet. The purpose of the video
drinking water. Last October, the EPA established an internal
series
is
to
provide needed training for a wide variety of
Water Protection Task Force to deal with activities to protect
operators
and
managers of small public water systems. The
and secure water supply infrastructure. The task force has
videos
cover
the
subjects of surface water and groundwater
develped guidance for five different types of incidents:
treatment,
storage
and distribution, monitoring, system
intentional contamination of a water system; threat of
management,
financial
administration, and emergency
contamination at a major event; notification from health
response.
Participants
who
complete the course earn 30
officials of potential water contamination; intrusion through a
contact
hours.
More
information
is available from the Office
SCADA system; significant structural damage resulting from
of
Water
Programs
at
California
State University at
an intentional act. For more information, contact the EPA
Sacramento,
6000
J
Street,
Sacramento,
California 95819Water Protection Task Force at 202/260-3170.
6025,
916-278-6142
or
via
e-mail
at
[email protected].
In addition, the EPA announced that water systems that
Information is also posted on the office’s web site at
post their Consumer Confidence Reports to a web site may
http://www.owp.csus.edu.
modify the report to remove information that may be
considered sensitive or that may increase their vulnerability.
The EPA has also made arrangements with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to secure background checks on employees
of water utilities. Requests should include the employee’s full name, social security number, and date and country of birth and
should be sent via e-mail to [email protected].
In Minnesota, the Department of Health, in conjunction with the Minnesota Section of the American Water Works
Association and the Minnesota Rural Water Association, will be developing modules on water-system security for inclusion at
water schools throughout the state.
MDH engineers will also be including a discussion of security measures as part of the sanitary surveys they perform at water
systems.
New System for Coliform Samples
In an effort to have coliform bacteria samples processed
more quickly after they have been collected, the Minnesota
Department of Health is contracting with independent
environmental laboratories throughout the state to analyze the
quarterly bacteriological samples that previously had been sent
to the department’s laboratory in Minneapolis.
Because of how the U. S. Postal Service processes the
distribution of mail, it was sometimes taking as long as 72
hours for samples to get to the MDH lab, resulting in the
rejection of the samples, which must be analyzed within 30
hours of their collection.
Having laboratories located within each of the postal
service’s regional distribution areas should alleviate the problems. Systems should still collect samples in the morning and
bring them immediately to the post office so that they are on
their way to the lab as soon as possible. When the analysis of
the sample is completed, the designated laboratory will forward the information electronically to the MDH office in St.
Paul, which will send the report to the water system.
All water systems affected by this change have been
notified. Questions may be directed to Pat McKasy, the
senior compliance officer for MDH, at 651/215-0759.
Waterline Available On-Line
Subscribers now have the option of
receiving the Waterline by mail or by being
alerted via e-mail to the posting of the
current issue of the Waterline on the
Minnesota Department of Health web page,
or both.
If you wish to get the e-mail alert, please
contact Noel Hansen at:
[email protected]
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/
water/binfo/newsletters/archivedmain.html
Waterline
Published quarterly by the
Drinking Water Protection Section, Minnesota Department of Health
Editor: Stew Thornley
Dick Clark
Staff:
Jeanette Boothe
Noel Hansen
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).
Past issues of the Waterline (in PDF format) are available at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/
water/binfo/newsletters/archivedmain.html
6
Jim Haugen Dies
Jim Haugen—manager of St. Paul Regional
Water Services’ McCarrons Water Treatment
Plant and the chair of the Minnesota Section of
American Water Works Association (AWWA)—
died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 48 on
November 11.
Haugen received a degree in civil engineering
from the University of Minnesota and worked
as an engineer for the federal government in
Lansing, Michigan. He returned to Minnesota
and began working for the St. Paul Water
Utility (now St. Paul Regional Water Services)
as a project engineer in 1977. The next year,
he became assistant superintendent of the utility’s distribution
division. He moved to the utility’s treatment plant in 1988 to
become assistant superintendent of water production. In 1992
Haugen was named manager of the production division.
“Jim made critical contributions to our goal of providing an
abundant supply of clean, safe drinking water to our
customers,” said Bernie Bullert, general manager of St. Paul
Regional Water Services. Among those
contributions, noted Bullert, were the role that
Haugen played in developing new pumping
strategies for the utility, resulting in electrical
savings, completing $40 million worth of
upgrades and improvements at the treatment
plant, and automating the plant for better water
quality and lower operational costs.
Haugen served for many years as the
assistant secretary for Minnesota AWWA and
oversaw the organization of the Minnesota
Section Annual Conference. He became
chair-elect of the Minnesota Section in 2000.
In October 2001, Haugen received the L. N. Thompson Award
from the Minnesota AWWA for outstanding contributions to
the drinking water industry.
“Jim was a real visionary and a great team player,” added
Bullert. “He always gave us the big-picture perspective and
served as a sounding board for many of our ideas and
concerns. He leaves a big void. We will miss him a lot.”
REGISTRATION FORM FOR TELECONFERENCE AND SPRING SCHOOLS
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 Cindy Cook at 651/215-0751. Questions regarding
registration, contact Jeanette Boothe at 651/215-1321.
AWWA Teleconference: The Basics of Waterborne Pathogens
March 14, 2002. Fee: $65 ($85 after March 7 or at the door).
Check location you wish to attend:
____ Hennepin County Technical College, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
____ University of North Dakota, Grand Forks
____ Lake Superior College, Duluth, Minnesota
Southeast School, March 27-29, 2002, Best Western Apache, Rochester. Fee: $125 ($135 after March 15 or at the door).
Metro School, April 3-5, 2002, Thunderbird Hotel, Bloomington. Fee: $105 ($130 after March 18 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.
Name
Address
City
Zip
Day Phone
Employer
Please enclose the appropriate fee. Make check payable to Minnesota AWWA. Mail this form and fee to Drinking Water
Protection Section, Minnesota Department of Health, 121 East Seventh Place, Suite 220, P. O. Box 64975,
St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0975.
7
CALENDAR
Water Operator Training
Minnesota Section, American Water Works Association
*May 8-10, Northeast Waterworks
*March 27-29, Southeast Waterworks
Operators School, Best Western Apache, Operators School, Holiday Inn, InternaRochester. Contact Paul Halvorson, tional Falls. Contact Stew Thornley,
651/215-0771.
507/292-5193.
*June 12-14, Central Waterworks
*April 3-5, Metro Waterworks
Operators School, Thunderbird Hotel, Operators School, Ruttger’s Bay Lake
Bloomington. Contact Stew Thornley, Lodge, Deerwood. Contact Bill Spain,
320/654-5952.
651/215-0771.
*April, Southwest Waterworks
Operators School. Contact Mark
Sweers, 507/389-5561.
American Water Works Association Teleconference
March 14, The Basics of Waterborne Pathogens, Brooklyn Park, Duluth, and
Grand Forks. Contact Stew Thornley, 651/215-0771.
Minnesota Rural Water Association
Contact Kyle Kedrowski,
1/800/367-6792.
*March 5-7, Technical Conference, St.
Cloud Civic Center.
April 17, Operation & Maintenance,
Elbow Lake.
Training for
Non-Municipal Systems
Minnesota Rural Water Association
Contact Kyle Kedrowski,
1/800/367-6792.
April 9, Maple Grove.
April 23, Park Rapids.
*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/water/einfo/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