The Water Is (Still) Safe
According to MDH Report
A Tower Grows
in Minnetonka
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/com/dwar/report04.html
The Minnesota Department of Health
(MDH) announced the results of its
annual report on drinking water in
Minnesota at a news conference on
Tuesday, May 3 at St. Paul Regional
Water Services. The report covered
monitoring done in 2004 and once again
revealed only rare contamination
problems in the state’s 966 community
water systems.
In addition to testing results, the
report contains a look back at
significant dates in the history of
drinking water treatment in Minnesota.
Doug Mandy, manager of the Minnesota
Department of Health Section of Drinking
Water Protection, announces the results
of the drinking water annual report.
EPA to Revise Lead and Copper Rules
As a result of lead problems encountered in Washington, D.C., in 2004, the
A Minnetonka water tower grew seven
U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning revisions to the Lead and
feet over the winter. See page 4 for details.
Copper Rule.
Upcoming Certification
The revisions will eliminate the ability to disqualify a result after the sample has
been collected and analyzed. In the past, MDH would invalidate sample results if
Exam Dates
the water system could show that the site selection or sampling protocol was not
June 10, Deerwood
followed. The rule revision will no longer allow MDH to use discretion to invalidate
results and allow resampling.
June 21, Isle
The other major revision will require water systems to provide the tap monitoring
July 19, Wadena
results to homeowners that participate in the monitoring. The Minnesota
September 14, Spring Grove
Department of Health feels the sharing of test results is very important and has
September 29, St. Cloud
been actively encouraging the practice.
Each of the letters MDH sends to water systems transmitting their lead/copper
October 12, Redwood Falls
results
contains the following recommendation: “Please share individual results
October 19, Browns Valley
with each participant and provide a copy of the lead/copper fact sheets to
October 26, Collegeville
residences with a lead level greater than 15 ug/l [micrograms per liter] and/or
copper level greater than 1300 ug/l.”
October 28, Faribault
Homeowners who participate in the lead/copper sampling not only have a right
December 1, Thief River Falls
to know the test results, sharing the results may keep them participating in the
See calendar on back page
future. Also, those with elevated levels need to know that flushing their taps for
for more details
several minutes will reduce their exposure to lead/copper.
Summer 2005
Volume Thirteen/1
Inside:
Fergus Falls and St. Paul Face and Overcome Challenges
Fluoridation Turns 60
Training Recaps and Updates
Minnesota Cities Face and Overcome Challenges
Fergus Falls: A Good Emergency to Learn From
One of the banes of water
water to be distributed in whatever
utilities, particularly during the
way,” said Allen, while admitting,
winter, is a water main break.
“We were fighting a losing battle,
Most breaks are reported by the
not knowing where that leak was.
public or law enforcement who
Realizing that we couldn’t
have seen water on the street or
determine the [source of the] leak,
an obvious sign of a leak. For the
we started the long tedious
city of Fergus Falls, however, the
process of isolating sections of
discovery of a problem came
the city.” The utility first isolated
through an unaccounted loss of
a perimeter close to the treatment
water in the system, and finding
plant to see if it could build
the source of the leak involved a
capacity in the reservoir. “We
painstaking search that took
gave it about a half-hour and were
nearly a day.
able to build pressure, which ruled
On the evening of Monday,
out problems at the plant. Given
January 10, 2005 the city’s water The break in the water main took place in a remote area the extreme loss of volume and the
utility received a report of near the Otter Tail River at the western end of Fergus Falls. fact that the leak had not been
a loss of pressure from a resident. The staff performed some
detected in any developed area, we concentrated search
routine investigation but was unable to confirm if there was a
teams in areas with large diameter water mains near the
leak in the system. Overnight, however, the recording
rivers and lakes. There seemed to be no logical way that we
equipment at the water plant indicated a severe water loss.
could lose over a million gallons of water without any sign of
In the early-morning hours, the low-level alarms
a leak. The water had to be escaping into a river or lake.”
summoned the staff to the water plant, leaving no doubt
As some workers checked out reports of water in the street,
that there was a leak, only the uncertainty as to where the
the utility moved its valving efforts to larger areas. It isolated
leak was.
the south half of the city; however, within a couple of hours,
Before the sun rose on January 11, the search was on for
it was determined that they were not building pressure again,
the source of the leak. City employees drove through the
so this area was ruled out as the source of the leak.
streets while some others walked through remote areas, such
The process continued with the north half of the city divided
as cemeteries, that had older segments of water mains nearby.
into sections and isolated. “Gradually, through a systematic
At daybreak, the local airport manager and a water
approach, we were closing areas of the town, finding out where
department employee searched from an aircraft without
we were losing pressure and where we could hold pressure.”
success. Meanwhile, the utility increased its water
As the city zeroed in on the leak, utility employees Marc
production. “We were trying to keep up with the leak as well
Toso and Phil Nelson found a small amount of water in a
as feed the morning demand,” said public works
ditch near the Otter Tail River on the extreme west end of
director Clif Allen.
the city and from this discovered the leak at around 3 p.m.
The utility contacted local media, asking them to alert
The site was a remote area in which development is
residents to the situation and advise them to conserve water
taking place. In this particular location, however, the only
as much as possible. By 9 a.m., they had also notified
thing yet installed was water infrastructure, which is beneath
everyone on their emergency plan, including schools and
a cul-de-sac that was not yet completed. “Ninety-five
hospitals, as pressure in the system continued to drop. Alpercent of our water lines are under a street,” said Allen,
ready, some of the higher elevations in town had no pressure
“and this wasn’t one of them.” Besides the remoteness, the
at all, and, upon a recommendation from MDH district
leak was camouflaged by an ice coating that was a result of
engineer Steve Pederson, the city issued a precautionary boil
recent flooding, caused by an ice dam in the river.
water notice. (Such a notice is required when any segment
With no need to supply this area, the repair of the leak was
of the system drops below a minimum pressure.)
held until spring. The utility turned off the valves to isolate
By 10 a.m., the city had established a command center at
the area with the break and was able to build a working
the fire station, with phone lines for the public to call, and
pressure within a few hours. Rob Skibness, a longtime
assigned various tasks, such as public information, emergency
employee who is very knowledgeable of the distribution
planning, and search-team coordination. Staff and media were
system, directed crews as they moved through the city and
briefed throughout the day. The effort was aided by volunpurged air from the lines. Allen said they were anticipating
teers, which included local engineering and survey crews,
other water-main breaks from the air pockets, but he cites
contractors, and emergency responders. Businesses also
Skibness’s skill in overseeing the task with the fact that they
donated bottled water and emergency supplies to the hospihad minimal effects.
tal and clinic.
“I can’t give enough credit to our own staff,” Allen said,
Allen said they isolated one of the water towers and
adding that he was also impressed with the overall
maintained its level in case it was needed to fight a fire. “This
community response.
also gave us about a half-million gallons of potable
Fergus Falls—Continued on next page
2
should do this [interrupt programming or scroll script on the
screen].” Allen added that they are also considering
upgrading their internal alarm systems, which would have
given them a couple of additional hours of notice to the
problem.
“As emergencies go,” said Allen, “this was a good one to
learn from because no one was hurt, no one was injured, no
one was killed. Even the loss of dollars was fairly
minimal, considering what could have happened.
“It was an extremely good test, and it did point out a few
areas where we took note.”
Fergus Falls—Continued from previous page
The utility raised the chlorine level to get a higher residual
in the system and began taking samples throughout the city
that evening. The samples incubated for 24 hours, and on
the evening of January 12, after the samples were confirmed
as safe, the boil water notice was lifted.
Once the problem was remedied, the city was able to
assess its emergency response procedures and how well they
worked. “We have a broadcast system in which emergency
responders are able to interrupt programming channels,” said
Allen. “It worked well, and there were ideas on when we
St. Paul Tackles Communication Issues after Contamination Event
• On Tuesday evening,
after receiving the second
set of test results, we issued
an all-clear advisory to the
media.
• Also, the field crew again
distributed flyers to affected
residents with the same
message.
We also contacted key
city officials for Maplewood
and Saint Paul; gave status
reports to our Call Center,
Dispatch, and Laboratory
staff to help them respond
to telephone inquiries; and
disabled our interactive
voice response and replaced
it with voice mail updates for The tower that caused the
after-hours callers.
problem is in Maplewood.
Immediately after the event, we chronicled every step we
took. We reviewed things that we did well:
• We consulted and followed the steps outlined in our
Emergency Preparedness Plan.
• By quickly removing the contaminated water and its source,
we minimized the duration of the crisis.
• As promised, we resolved the problem within 48 hours.
• Our decision to ask customers not to drink the water is
one we would make again. Although some of customers were
alarmed, we determined that the safest course of action was
still the best.
• We maintained a flow of information to our customers as
facts became available.
We also reviewed areas that could be improved, some of
which were subject to external events not in our control:
• We did not receive the news coverage we expected, largely
because our event was superseded by saturation coverage
of the hunters who were killed in Wisconsin.
• Our method of distributing flyers was imperfect and,
perhaps, somewhat antiquated. Some residents saw the flyer
and others did not, creating some confusion for our customers.
• Our internal communications could have been better; we
did not get information to our staff and Maplewood staff as
quickly as we should have so that they, in turn, could update
our customers.
By Helga Kessler, Public Service Manager
St. Paul Regional Water Services (SPRWS)
During the weekend of November 20-21, 2004, we started
receiving complaints regarding chlorine and petroleum-like
odors in our tap water supply. Because of the location of the
complainants, we suspected a recently painted water tank
that was just put back into service the previous Friday. The
tank supplies about 1,200 water services in Maplewood.
On the following Monday and Tuesday, we verified and
isolated the source of the odors, removed the affected water
from the system, had MDH analyze several water samples
from several locations, and notified customers of the
situation as it developed.
Our first round of samples, taken on Monday, indicated
trace amounts of seven relevant contaminants. The second
round, taken on Tuesday after the system was flushed, showed
either greatly reduced levels or an absence of these
compounds, depending on where the sample was taken. For
all tests, the concentrations of contaminants were
substantially below the maximums allowed by federal and
state regulations.
Identifying and eliminating the source of the problem in a
timely manner required enormous diligence from both SPRWS
and MDH staff. However, these were actions we knew had
to be taken immediately. The communication challenges we
faced were somewhat more difficult—specifically, what to
tell our customers and when to tell it. Our decisions hinged
on a balance between properly advising our customers without alarming them. Although we were quite sure that there
was no health risk to the public, we decided to err on the side
of caution and ask our customers not to drink the water until
two rounds of tests were completed.
Below is a time-line summary of the public information
efforts we pursued:
• On Monday morning we sent an alert to the local media,
which stated the problem, identified the affected area,
advised residents not to drink the water, and anticipated a
resolution within 48 hours.
• At the same time, we brought in all field crews to deliver
flyers, containing the same information, to as many residents
as possible.
• Late Monday afternoon, we sent a media update, which
advised of intermittent service interruptions, that initial test
results were expected by Tuesday morning, that another
round of tests would be done after flushing was completed,
and that residents should still refrain from drinking the water.
St. Paul—Continued on page 7
3
From Tall to Taller: Minnetonka Raises a Tower
The city of Minnetonka is a western Twin Cities suburb
that has grown over the past few decades to the point that it
now has a population of greater than 50,000. The city’s
water utility has also grown and now has eight treatment
plants with sand filtration to serve the residents. In addition,
the water system has three different pressure zones because
of differing elevations. Seven of the nine towers are within
the largest zone, which covers approximately three-quarters
of the city. One of those towers is being put back into
service after more than a decade of inactivity.
The 500,000-gallon Tanglen tower (near Tanglen
Elementary School and just north of the city line with Hopkins)
was built in 1967 and originally operated as an isolated
system. As the city grew and demand increased, additional
storage was added, causing a problem with the Tanglen tower,
which began overflowing because its elevation was seven
feet lower than the other towers. “As the rest of the water
system developed, its overflow elevation became obsolete,”
said Minnetonka director of public works Brian Wagstrom.
The city tried altitude valves, but when the problems
persisted, it took the Tanglen tower out of service.
There was talk of dismantling the tower, but Wagstrom
thought that the city might someday regret the decision if it
found itself in need of additional capacity. Beyond the cost
of a new tower would be the normal headaches of getting
approval for such a project along with dealing with concerns
of nearby residents. From this came the decision to try and
make the existing tower usable and put it back into service.
The engineering firm of Toltz King Duvall Anderson
(TKDA) of St. Paul examined the options available to
Minnetonka and recommended a renovation of the Tanglen
tower, which included raising it by seven feet to bring it to the
same elevation as the other towers in the pressure zone.
Verne Jacobsen, senior registered engineer for TKDA, said
his firm has been involved in changing the elevation of
several towers in the region. A feasibility study was
necessary to make sure that the tower foundation as well as
the soil could bear the additional load. Once this was
confirmed, the project moved forward.
Work began with the cutting of a seam on the stem of the tower.
The general contract was awarded to Classic Protective
Coatings of Menomonie, Wisconsin, which contained and
stripped off the lead-based coatings. The elevation change
was subcontracted to General Construction Services, Inc. of
Stillwater, Minnesota, for $188,000.
Two options existed: taking the tank off and adding seven
feet to the stem or jacking the tank in place to raise it.
Removal of the tank was ruled out because of the confines
of the site, which could not have accommodated the two large
cranes that would have been necessary. Instead, it was
decided to make the cut just above the flared portion of the
stem, immediately above the condensate ceiling.
Preliminary work began in late January 2005 and took
approximately 10 days. Inside, the condensate platform was
used for the workers, and another platform was built just
below for the jacking equipment. Six 20-foot long jacking
beams were welded to the portion of the stem that would be
raised. Each of these beams was pinned to one of six
100-ton jacks, which had 24-inch extension heights.
On the outside, rings were placed around the stem to keep
it from distorting during the raising procedure. “If a wind
came up after the top of the stem was extended seven feet
on the beams, it could push against one side of the tank, which
could push the column and egg-shape it,” said David Webb,
the construction manager for General Construction Services.
“The rings kept the column round during the jacking process.”
With the set-up work complete, the project was performed
on Thursday, February 10, 2005. A seam was cut around the
stem, which is 31 feet, 8 inches in circumference. The
raising took place with four separate lifts of 21 inches each.
“We developed a chart, figured the square inches on the jack,
and determined that the load was 240,000 pounds,” explained
Webb. “In order to move that, we needed to have about
2,380 pounds per square inch [psi] on each jack. Once we
started jacking, it jumped to about 2,500 psi, and that’s where
it stayed.”
The tower was raised with six 20-foot long jacking beams, which
were welded to the upper portion of the stem.
Continued on next page
4
After the tower was raised seven feet, a small crane was used to lift into place the two half-plates.
The crew used a vertical laser with a target on the top
landing to monitor the lifting and ensure that all beams rose
evenly. After each lift, which took approximately 12 to 15
minutes, the beams were pinned off to hold them in place as
the jacks were retracted in order to start another lift. The
entire jacking operation took approximately three hours.
Once the upper portion had been lifted seven feet, two
half-plates, each seven-eighths of an inch thick (1/16 of an
inch thicker than the 13/16-inch wall of the stem) were lifted
into the opening and welded into place.
The tower is now 122 feet high, reaching an elevation of
1,116 feet (with the ground elevation 994 feet at that point).
Wagstrom believes that when all the costs are in, including
painting, they will have achieved the heightening of the tower
for under $400,000, less than half of what they would have
spent to dismantle the existing tower and erect a new one.
Inspirational Slogans
We’d Like to See in the Workplace
(But Probably Won’t)
Pearls of Wisdom from Despair.com
Mediocrity: It takes a lot less time, and most people won’t
notice the difference until it’s too late.
Doing a job RIGHT the first time
gets the job done.
Doing the job WRONG 14 times
gives you job security.
Consulting: If you’re not part of the solution, there’s good
money to be made in prolonging the problem.
Eagles may soar,
but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.
Motivation: If a pretty poster and a cute saying are all it
takes to motivate you, you probably have a very easy job—
the kind robots will be doing soon.
Artificial Intelligence is no match
for Natural Stupidity.
Goals: It’s best to avoid standing between a competitive jerk
and his goals.
Plagiarism saves time.
Individuality: Always remember that you are unique . . .
just like everybody else.
Meetings: None of us is as dumb as all of us.
If at first you don’t succeed, try management.
Trouble: Luck can’t last a lifetime unless you die young.
Never put off until tomorrow
what you can avoid altogether.
Fear: Until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore,
you will never know the terror of being forever lost at sea.
Never underestimate the power
of very stupid people in large groups.
Irresponsibility: No single raindrop believes it is to blame
for the flood.
Go the extra mile.
It makes your boss look like an incompetent
slacker.
Conformity: When people are free to do as they please,
they usually imitate each other.
Doubt: In the battle between you and the world, bet on the
world.
A snooze button is a poor substitute
for no alarm clock at all.
Failure: When your best just isn’t good enough.
5
Fluoride in Drinking Water Turns 60
that at least 75 percent of the population served by
community water systems should be receiving the benefits
of optimally fluoridated water by the year 2010. As of 2000,
the national percentage of PWS-served population receiving
optimally fluoridated water had risen to 66 percent from 62
percent in 1992. In Minnesota, 98 percent of the 3,780,942
residents served by a PWS was being supplied optimally
fluoridated water in 2000. That was 74 percent of the total
state population.
As the concept and benefits of fluoride optimization reach
a larger group of residents, it is important to remember the
value of engineering controls and monitoring. The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency developed a Primary
and Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL and
SMCL) of 4.0 ppm and 2.0 ppm through its Safe Drinking
Water Act. Furthermore, the CDC has developed
engineering and treatment recommendations for optimum
fluoride levels. Diligent monitoring of fluoride concentrations will help ensure a safe, uniform presence of fluoride at
the tap.
Finally, continued discussion and research will help us to
understand and document the benefits and risks of
fluoridated water consumption. Studies focusing on
toxicology and total dietary intake of fluoride are ongoing.
As part of the Healthy People 2010 program, the ADA, in
conjunction with the CDC, will host a national fluoridation
symposium in Chicago on July 13-16, 2005. The symposium
is open to the public. In addition to recognizing the impact of
fluoridation on oral health, it is intended to facilitate
communication and update of the science of fluoridation.
By David Rindal
MDH Public Health Engineer
This year marks the 60th anniversary of community water
fluoridation in the United States. The practice began at
4 p.m. on January 25, 1945, when Grand Rapids, Michigan,
became the first city in the nation to supplement its drinking
water fluoride level. By fixing the fluoride concentration at
an optimum level, Grand Rapids and other communities hoped
to improve oral health by preventing tooth decay. The
American Dental Association (ADA) has endorsed this
practice for over 40 years, and in 1999 the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognized the fluoridation of drinking water as one of the top great public health
achievements in the twentieth century because of its
important role in the reductions in tooth decay in children (40
to 70 percent) and of tooth loss in adults (40 to 60 percent).1
Community fluoride optimization reached Minnesota when
Fairmont began the process in February 1951. By 1962,
58 public water systems (PWSs) were supplying 67
Minnesota communities with fluoridated water (10 additional
communities had natural levels above 0.9 parts per million
[ppm]). According to the 1960 census results, those 67
communities accounted for 37 percent of the population.
The introduction of fluoridated drinking water has occurred
across the United States. Most of the expansion has
happened through state and local regulation. In Minnesota,
municipal PWSs were required by state statute to optimize
fluoride concentrations (0.9 to 1.5 ppm) by January 1, 1970.
Federal agencies and professional organizations have
supported these and similar measures. Recently, the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion introduced a
program, Healthy People 2010. One of its stated goals is
Burt BA, Eklund SA. Dentistry, Dental Practice, and the
Community. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: W. B. Saunders
Company, 1999:204-20.
1
Richard Marohl of Advanced Engineering and
Environmental Services, Inc (AE2S) of
Moorhead, Minnesota, won the grand prize in
the American Water Works Association’s
“Members in Action” photo contest, which was
conducted in conjunction of AWWA’s Member
Appreciate Week. The photo to the right is of
Brian Weiss, an engineer from the AE2S office
in Grand Forks, North Dakota, who was testing
fire hydrants in Fargo. Richard wasn’t even
aware there was a photo contest when he took
the picture for the company’s web site. When
he heard about the contest, he submitted the
photo and, for his efforts, won an all-expenses
paid trip for two to Denver. The AWWA web site
(http://awwa.org) will have details about this
year’s Member Appreciation Week, scheduled
for November 6-12, 2005.
On the Move
The MDH Drinking Water Protection
Section, as well as the laboratory, will be
moving to a new building later this year. More
information, along with an updated list of staff
phone numbers, will appear in the Fall 2005
Waterline.
6
Emergency Response CD
Available from EPA
St. Paul—Continued from page 3
To maintain trust and goodwill with our customers, we
eventually sent a letter to the 1,200 residents in the service
area, even though the contaminated water never reached
most of them. We explained what happened, apologized for
any missteps, and offered a $5.00 credit on their accounts.
Approximately 250 customers have taken advantage of the
offer.
Based on what we learned from this event, we continue to
work on making long-term improvements to our crisis
communication process. None of our staff has ever before
confronted an emergency of a similar magnitude. Yet, so many
people stepped up to the plate. We are very grateful to the
numerous SPRWS and MDH employees who simply went
to work, kept the situation under control and, most important,
solved and rectified the problem.
EPA is making available a compact disc, Emergency
Response Tabletop Exercises for Drinking Water and
Wastewater Systems (EPA 817-C-05-001). The tabletop
exercises on this CD were developed to help train water and
wastewater utility workers in the application of their emergency response plans. The exercises contain secondary roles
for health officials, laboratories, fire, police, emergency
medical services, and local, state, and federal officials. The
training goal of the CD is to strengthen the relationships
between a water supplier and their emergency response team
members and to enable water suppliers to test their
emergency response plans before an actual incident occurs.
The compact disc may be obtained by calling 1-800-832-7828.
Minnesota AWWA Districts Conduct Spring Water Operator Schools
The districts within the Minnesota Section American Water Works Association (AWWA) have been busy with their spring schools
for water operators. The photo on the left shows a Utility Accessories showcase that was a part of the Southeast District school
in Rochester in March. The Metro District school the following week featured a presentation by former professional wrestler Baron
Von Raschke, shown in a mock interview with veteran wrestling announcer George Schire. The Southwest and Northeast districts
also completed their spring schools, and the Central District will be holding its school in mid-June. Dates for all upcoming training
events are available on the MDH web site at http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/wateroperator/trng/wat_op_sched.html.
Surcharge Proposed for Licenses
Waterline
As part of Governor Tim Pawlenty’s “Drive to Excellence”
initiative, which is intended to make state government more
efficient and user-friendly, a license surcharge has been
proposed in the state legislature that would include a $5 fee
for the application, renewal, and issuance of water and
wastewater certificates. The money from this surcharge
would be deposited into a statewide licensing-system account
and appropriated to the commissioner of the Minnesota
Department of Labor and Industry to develop and implement
a statewide licensing plan. If approved, the surcharge will be
effective from July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2008.
Published quarterly by the
Drinking Water Protection Section,
Minnesota Department of Health
Editor: Stew Thornley
Staff:
Dick Clark, 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).
The best thing about baseball is that you can
do something about yesterday tomorrow.
Past issues of the Waterline are available at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/
newsletters.htm
—Manny Trillo
Major league second baseman, 1973-1989
7
CALENDAR
Water Operator Training
Minnesota Section, American
Water Works Association
*June 8-10, Central Water Operators
School, Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge,
Deerwood.
Contact Lyle Stai,
320-212-8590.
October 5-7, Duluth Entertainment
Convention Center. Contact Dave
Schultz, 320-650-1059.
*October 12, Southwest Water
Operators School, Redwood Falls.
Contact John Blomme, 507-537-7308.
*October 26, Central Water
Operators School, St. John’s University,
Collegeville. Contact Lyle Stai,
320-212-8590.
*October 28, Southeast Water
Operators School, American Legion,
Faribault. Contact Paul Halvorson,
507-292-5193.
*November 29-December 1,
Northwest Water Operators School, Best
Western, Thief River Falls. Contact
Stew Thornley, 651-215-0771.
Minnesota Rural Water Association Contact Kyle Kedrowski, 800-367-6792.
*June 21, Operation & Maintenance,
October 5, Securing Financing for
Isle
Small Systems, New Ulm
July 13, Operation & Maintenance,
*October 19, Operation & MainteArgyle
nance, Browns Valley
*July 19, Operation & Maintenance,
October 25, Winterizing Your Water
Wadena
System, St. Cloud
*September 14, Operation & MainOctober 26, Winterizing Your Water
tenance, Spring Grove
System, Detroit Lakes
September 20, Quality Control in
November 9, Cross Connections and
Water Treatment Laboratories, Medford Backflow Control
September 22, Quality Control in
November 29, Management Institute,
Water Treatment Laboratories, St. Cloud St. Cloud
*September 27-29, Water CertificaDecember 6, Operation & Maintetion Exam and Prep, St. Cloud
nance, Biwabik
September 28, Securing Financing for
MRWA Training for
Small Systems, St. Cloud
Class E Operators
American Water Works
Association Teleconference
November 3, The Changing
Workforce, Brooklyn Park, St. Paul,
Duluth, North Mankato, and Grand
Forks, N. D. Contact Stew Thornley,
651-215-0771.
June 7, Winona
*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, see the training calendar on the MDH web site at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/wateroperator/trng/wat_op_sched.html
MDH Drinking Water Protection web page: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water
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Permit No. 171
St. Paul, MN
Environmental Health Division
121 E. 7th Place Suite 220
P. O. Box 64975
St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0975
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED