Where Is the Water in
White Bear Lake?
Teaching Water through Art
A half-hour documentary on the shrinking of White Bear
Lake has been produced by Amy Okaya, a former Minnesota
Department of Health employee and a resident of White Bear
Township. Where Is the Water in White Bear Lake? explores
the reasons the lake’s water level has gone down by more
than four feet in the last 10 years, and the documentary is
intended to “stimulate broader public engagement in water
issues by presenting the story of White Bear Lake in a more
personal way,” according to Okaya.
Avoiding politics and legal issues, the documentary focuses
on observations by residents and insights from researchers,
hydrogeologists, and others. “The only real way to change
the situation is to change how people behave when they
use water,” Jeanette Leete, a manager at the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources (DNR), says in the film.
Former legislator and DNR commissioner Gene Merriam,
now president of the Freshwater Society, said of the cultural
shifts, such as recycling, that he has seen in his lifetime, “It
usually reflects educational efforts, letting people know there
is a problem and there are alternatives.”
The documentary is available at http://tinyurl.com/qjydjoc.
Fall 2014 Volume Twenty-two/1
Art and science come together at the Western Sculpture Park
in St. Paul. Public Art St. Paul held a series of weekly Mobile
Art Labs at the park in the summer of 2014, using art to teach
young people from the neighborhood about water. See page
5 for the full story.
Water Operator Exam Dates
September 17, Zumbrota
October 17, Owatonna
October 29, Detroit Lakes
October 30, St. Cloud
November 18, Clarks Grove
December 10, Biwabik
See calendar on back page for more information
Inside: MDH Lab Learns Lessons from Broken Pipe
Operator School News
Water Poster Contest
Making Lemonade out of . . . a Leaky Lab
Reprinted from Ready to Respond, the Minnesota Department of Health Preparedness Newsletter, May 2014
Editor’s note: On one of the many cold
mornings last January, a pipe broke in
the public health laboratory shared by the
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and
the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
This article appeared in an MDH newsletter,
chronicling the event along with lessons
learned from it.
was yet another example of the severely
cold weather’s impact—and media were
looking for any new twist to that story.
Requests to shoot video footage of the
destruction in the lab poured in.
Initially, these requests had to be
denied because the area was unsafe. But
by Tuesday, some areas had been secured,
and MDH issued an update along with
an offer to provide lab tours to media. A
designated period was set to minimize
interruption to staff and recovery workers and to limit hazards to media. All four
Twin Cities television news outlets seized
the offer, as well as some print.
The lab tours were an eye-opener for
both reporters and camera operators. They
were impressed with the scale of damage, of course. But they
also seemed impressed with the scale, variety, and importance
of the different lab functions—and the effectiveness of the
response so far; by Tuesday afternoon, some areas were
already partially operational.
When water started falling from the
Public Health Laboratory ceiling that
January Monday morning, Carrie Wolf
and coworkers knew they had an emergency—and a crisis—on their hands.
Laboratory staff quickly rallied to protect
valuable equipment they treasured and
within minutes established an incident
command system to manage the crisis.
A faulty exhaust fan had caused some of the water pipes for
the heating, cooling, and sprinkler systems to freeze overnight
Sunday. When staff turned up the heat Monday morning, the
thawing pipes burst, cascading water down through three
floors of the Public Health Laboratory building. For the next
two days, facilities staff would play whack-a-mole, solving
one leak only to have another one pop open somewhere else.
This incident posed numerous response challenges: logistics, safety, continuity of operations, infrastructure, financial,
and communications. Internal and partner communication
issues became evident quickly. MDH devised a number of
creative solutions to some problems, including relocating
one work section to a different building and giving them
surplus equipment. Telecommuting was an option for some;
however, MDH already had a large number of employees
telecommuting because of severe cold, and additional lab
staff attempting to log in slowed the system to a walk, or
even locked some people out.
Broader public communication issues were less clear. Initially, it seemed that as long as the lab was communicating
with its usual lab partners, nothing else was needed. But as
events unfolded, staff soon realized that some testing would
be delayed indefinitely, meaning some partners, such as
health care providers, would not get results back in the usual
amount of time (with the exception of newborn screening);
MDH might be unable to detect disease outbreaks as quickly
as usual; and without influenza testing results, staff wouldn’t
be able to provide the Weekly Influenza Activity update to
the press and public as usual.
Rather than let work of the lab situation leak out, leadership
decided to go public and contact media. Not only did this
give MDH an opportunity to manage expectations, it proved
to have a media relations/public relations benefit.
The Communications Office issued a news release late
Monday afternoon describing the situation, explaining what
was and what was not known, and sharing what was anticipated. MDH was reassuring on some things, such as newborn
screening, as much as possible.
The release generated significant media interest, in part
because of the impact of the “disaster” but also because it
Through some timely media relations, MDH was able to
make something sweet out of a lemon situation.
Some communications issues worth considering before
an emergency:
• If you need to tell employees/staff to not report to work
because their work areas are hazardous, how will you do
that?
• Once you have stopped them from coming to work, how
will you communicate with them about returning or to
provide them situation updates? Can you provide accessible instructions that tell them how to check email and
voicemail from home?
• For those who may be able to report to work but their desk
computers are down, how will management communicate
with them, and how will they communicate with each other
and with external partners?
• Can your VPN system handle a surge in normal capacity?
• Who, outside of your agency, would be interested in your
situation, and what would you tell them about it?
• Look for the silver lining and the opportunity to tell a
broader story about the good work you do.
2
Operator School Scene
The Northwest District of the Minnesota Section of American Water Works Association (AWWA) is moving its three-day
school from December to October. This year’s school, from October 28 to 30, will be at the Holiday Inn on the Lake in
Detroit Lakes. The plan is to alternate sites between Detroit Lakes and Bemidji.
Participants in the school will receive 16 credit hours for their attendance. The registration for the school will be $130
($140 after October 13).
2014 Northwest District Water Operators School
Wednesday, October 29
Tuesday, October 28
8:15 to noon
Operator Breakfast and Business Meeting
Speaker: Kelly Asche, Rural Demographics
8:15 to noon
• Welcome from Mayor Matt Brenk
• Water for People
• Water in Nicaragua
• Discharge Issues and Chloride
• Minnesota Department of Health Regulatory Update
Product Show and TopOps
1:00 to 3:45
Hands-on Sessions at Wastewater Plant
Meter Madness, Water Taste Test
1:00 to 3:45
• Top of the Tower
• Fargo Membrane Water Treatment Plant
• Safety Issues
or
Certification Exams at 1:00
or
Exam Prep (all day)
Thursday, October 30
8:30 to noon
Park Rapids Water Treatment Plant
Freeze Ups Panel Discussion
Turbidity and Other Issues
Marshall-Polk Rural Water Disinfection Byproducts Issues
20 Questions
Paul Douglas to Speak at 2015
Metro District School
Additional Schools
• Southeast School, October 17, Cabela’s, Owatonna.
Meteorologist Paul Douglas will be the opening speaker,
talking about the impacts of climate change, at the Metro
District Operators School Tuesday, March 31 to Thursday,
April 2, 2015 at the Ramada Mall of America (formerly the
Thunderbird Hotel) in Bloomington. Ben Finnegan of CH2M
Hill will follow with a presentation on water in Nicaragua.
The school will include a series of concurrent sessions on
technical issues, off-site tours, and a product show.
Registration information and an agenda will be in upcoming issues of the Waterline.
• Central School, October 22, St. John’s University,
Collegeville.
Other Coming Attractions
Minnesota Section American Water Works Association
Annual Conference
September 9-12, 2014
Duluth Entertainment Convention Center
A registration form for the Central and Northwest schools is on page 7.
Information on all district schools is at
http://health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/wateroperator/trng/wat_op_sched.html
Winners (or Losers) of the Worst Analogy Contest
He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant and she was the East River.
He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells,
as if she were a garbage truck backing up.
3
Winning Water Posters
Garden of Hope Elementary School (team effort)
Laura Gallup, Centennial High School
Josie Valerius, Centennial Middle School
For the second year in a row the Minnesota Department of Health, H2O for Life,
Dow Water and Process Solutions, Bongard
Corporation/Elkay, and the Minnesota Section of American Water Works Association
sponsored a contest for water posters from
Minnesota students. For their artwork and
insights, the winners earned a bottle-filling
station for their school.
This year’s contest drew more than 900
entries from around the state. A group effort
by Eli, Hannah, Kian, Caroline, Cash, and
Caden of Garden of Hope Elementary in
White Bear Lake won the prize in that
category. Josie Valerius of Centennial Middle
School in Lino Lakes had the best poster
among middle schools. Laura Gallup (shown
at the right with her poster) of Centennial High
School in Circle Pines produced the top poster
among high-school students.
The sponsors plan to continue the contest to
promote tap water and bottle-filling stations.
When I die I hope it’s in Chicago, where I can still vote.
—Harry Caray
John Lapointe Moves to MDH
John Lapointe has moved to the Minnesota Department of Health Section of
Drinking Water Protection, serving as district engineer for Ike Bradlich, who is
on military leave.
John is from Mason City, Iowa, and graduated from Iowa State University with
a degree in engineering operations. He worked six years for the Iowa Department
of Natural Resources in the Water and Wastewater Treatment Divisions and then
for 20 years for various Iowa and Minnesota consulting firms. John spent the last
eight years as a design consultant in the commercial and industrial water treatment
field, working with ethanol and power plants.
John has been active in water projects with Rotary International and with the
Minnesota Section of American Water Works Association, serving as the section’s
chair in 2005-2006.
John has a wife, Julie; sons Nick, Troy, and Ryan; and daughter Marcie.
4
Public Art St. Paul Promotes Water Awareness
“The most memorable
art conveys a message,”
says Mary Johnson, the
education director for Public Art St. Paul, a nonprofit
organization that engages
artists in shaping the form
and experience in the city.
In addition for caring for St.
Paul’s civic art and assessing
the condition of its public
art collection, Public Art St.
Paul is active in educational
programs to promote knowledge and understanding
through art.
For the last five years,
much of the focus has been
on water infrastructure with
the intent to “make the invisible visible,” according
to St. Paul Public Art president Christine Podas-Larson. The initiatives have included
a partnership with local watershed districts to help people
“be more aware of their own roles in what can happen with
water quality.”
Another is a collaborative effort combining
25 artists and scientists to
focus on water quality in
the Mississippi River Valley. “Artists can’t do what
engineers and scientists
do,” says Podas-Larson,
“but they can bring forward the fullness of the city
life. In doing that, it is fundamentally important that
we pay attention to water
quality and ignite people’s
imagination around these
issues in ways that maybe
aren’t possible through
other avenues.”
Public Art St. Paul has
also been conducting educational programs at Western Sculpture Park, on
Marion Avenue to the southwest of the state capitol, an area
with many low-income residents dependent on the immediate neighborhood for recreational and cultural opportunities.
During the 1990s local residents secured funding to transform
a barren field into a park, hoping in the process to reduce
crime in the area and promote public improvements. Recreation and culture came together on the site with a sculpture
exhibition that is constantly rotating under the guidance of
curator John Hock. The park features pre-existing sculptures
loaned by artists as well as site-specific commissioned works.
Ongoing educational programs and events bring together
people from the immediate area and beyond. In 2014 the
programs began focusing on artistic content with considerations of the water system in the neighborhood. Johnson
said the organization hired four artists for a mobile art lab,
a series of workshops held every Tuesday afternoon. The
artists include Esther Ouray of the In the Heart of the Beast
Puppet and Mask Theatre in Minneapolis, which has been
active for years in promoting water awareness through art.
Two of the artists oversee the workshop each week, and
the young people involved have been engaged in activities
surrounding water. They have counted the number of storm
drains in the park and even made rubbings of the drains.
“From that, they get an understanding of what’s underneath,
the pipes going to the river,” Johnson explains. “Now they
talk about keeping water clean.”
Decorating reusable water bottles with lanyards is another
activity, and the artists found creative ways to teach the group
what a watershed is. “Through games, they are doing it by
having fun,” Johnson says.
Although anyone has been welcome, the average age of
the kids attending is 8, although the group has included teenagers. Johnson says they may tailor the workshop for older
groups and find ways to explore other aspects of water, such
as wastewater and drinking water.
“It’s totally evolving,” said Johnson, who added that they
Esther Ouray of In the Heart of the Beast Theatre leads participants
plan to keep the water focus for at least another summer.
in making water monster masks at Western Sculpture Park.
5
Creating a Tap Water Friendly Home for Children
•
•
•
•
•
From the National Center on Health newsletter: tips to help children drink tap water.
Drink tap water. Children like to do what adults do. Set a good example.
Offer tap water instead of drinks with sugar. It can take up to 10 times before children’s taste buds decide if they
like something. Don’t give up! Keep offering children tap water.
Keep a pitcher of flavored tap water in the refrigerator. Some children don’t like the taste of plain tap water. Try
adding favorite cut-up fruits, vegetables, or fresh herbs to tap water.
Don’t keep drinks with sugar in the refrigerator. Keep pop (soda), fruit-flavored drinks, and other drinks with sugar
out of the refrigerator. If children don’t see them, they are less likely to ask for them.
Offer tap water during the day. Give tap water to children during the day and when they are thirsty. Bring tap water
with you when you and your child go to the park or shopping. Drinking water helps children stay healthy.
MDH News
New Videos: Secure Your Utility and
Don’t Get Soaked
Reminder: Plan Review Required for
Public Water Supplies
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a
a video highlighting the importance of developing a security
culture at drinking water and wastewater utilities. It describes
how the Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation
Department implemented some of the key features of a
protective program and how the utility benefited from its
enhanced security. Among the security practices described:
developing a security scorecard program and hiring a law
enforcement official. The video is available at: http://tinyurl.
com/m24ooeo.
Also of interest—Don’t Get Soaked: Invest in Emergency Preparedness, Prevention and Mitigation Activities at
http://tinyurl.com/laxck9a.
Recently the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)
discovered multiple drinking water infrastructure projects
that had not undergone the required plan review prior to construction. Plan review by MDH is required for all drinking
water infrastructure projects by Minnesota Rules 4720.0010.
It is the public water supply’s responsibility to ensure that the
required MDH plan review is obtained for the replacement,
rehabilitation, or addition of chemical feed systems, wells,
pumphouses, water storage facilities, storage coating projects, booster stations, and treatment facilities. This includes
temporary chemical feed systems. Enforcement actions may
be taken for violations of the plan review requirements,
including potential fines for the public water supply involved.
Questions about the MDH plan review process may be
directed to either Brian Noma, 651-201-4683 or David
Weum, 651-201-4684.
Celebrating 40 Years of SDWA
Organizations are continuing to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act with activities
to commemorate the landmark legislation, which was signed
into law by President Gerald Ford on December 16, 1974.
The Minnesota Department of Health is continuing to
promote a six-minute video on the significance of SDWA
in Minnesota and elsewhere. The video features U. S. Representative Betty McCollum and Steve Schneider, general
manager of St. Paul Regional Water Services, as well as
former Minnesota Governor Al Quie and former U. S. Vice
President Walter Mondale, who both represented the state in
Congress when the act was passed.
The video is available at http://tinyurl.com/jwr9yjn or by
scanning the QR code below.
Postal Service to Close Processing Centers
The United States Postal Service will be closing four
processing centers in Minnesota. The centers are in Bemidji,
Duluth, Mankato, and Waite Park. Due to the potential for
increased delivery times, an alternative delivery service may
need to be used to avoid samples arriving out of their holding time. Alternative delivery services include FedEx, UPS,
Spee-Dee, DHL, etcetera. Water systems will be responsible
for any additional costs associated with using alternative
delivery services.
New Volume Requirement for
Microbiological Samples
As of July 1, 2014, microbiological samples received with
an insufficient volume will be rejected. For presence/absence
of total coliform, 100 milliliters (mL) is required. Previously,
samples received with at least 97 mL were accepted because
the top of the meniscus was at the 100 mL mark. The bottom of the meniscus now needs to be at or slightly above the
100 mL mark.
I’d give my right arm to be
ambidextrous.
—former pitcher Dick Pole
6
REGISTRATION FORM FOR OPERATOR SCHOOLS
You may combine fees on one check if more than one person is attending a school; however, please make a copy of this
form for each person. For questions regarding registration, contact Jeanette Boothe at 651-201-4697.
To request an exam application, contact Noel Hansen at 651-201-4690 or Mark Sloan at 651-201-4652.
Southeast School, October 17, Cabela’s, Owatonna. Fee $30 ($35 after October 7).
Northwest School, October 28-30, Holiday Inn, Detroit Lakes. Fee: $130 ($140 after October 13).
Name
Employer
Address
City
Zip
Day Phone
E-mail Address
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, P. O. Box 64494, St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0494.
Reminder to All Water Operators
When submitting water samples for analyses, remember to do the following:
- Take coliform samples on the distribution system, not at the wells or entry points.
- Write the Date Collected, Time Collected, and Collector’s Name on the laboratory request form.
- Write the Sample Point on the laboratory request form.
- Attach the label to each bottle (do not attach labels to the lab form).
- Include laboratory request forms with submitted samples; make sure the information on the bottle label
and the lab form is the same.
- Use something other than a rollerball or gel pen; the ink may run.
- Consult your monitoring plan(s) prior to collecting required compliance samples.
Notify your Minnesota Department of Health district engineer of any e-mail changes for contact people.
If you have questions, call the Minnesota Department of Health contact on the back of all sample instruction forms.
Waterline
Published quarterly by the Drinking Water Protection Section, Minnesota Department of Health
Editor:
Stew Thornley
Staff:
Noel Hansen
Jeanette Boothe
Past issues of the Waterline are available at http://www.health.state.mn.us/water/newsletters.htm
7
Presorted Standard
US Postage Paid
Twin Cities MN
Permit No. 171
Environmental Health Division
625 North Robert Street
P. O. Box 64975
St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0975
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
CALENDAR
Minnesota Section, American Water Works Association
September 9-12, Annual Conference, Duluth Entertain*October 22, Central Water Operators School, St. John’s
ment Convention Center. Contact Brian LeMon, 952-832University, Collegeville. Contact Bill Schluenz, 320-2522774.
6822.
*October 17, Southeast Water Operators School, Cabela’s,
*October 28-30, Northwest Water Operators School, HoliOwatonna. Contact Bob Dunn, 507-457-8270.
day Inn on the Lake, Detroit Lakes. Contact Kris Knutson,
218-299-5470.
Information for all district schools, including agendas:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/water/wateroperator/trng/
schoolagendas.html
*Includes a water operator certification exam.
Minnesota Rural Water Association (MRWA)
Contact Kyle Kedrowski, 800-367-6792
*September 17, Operation & Maintenance, Zumbrota
Note: Class D workshops are eight
MRWA Class D Training
*October 28-30, Certification Exam
hours, and Class E workshops are four
October 14, Owatonna
Refresher, St. Cloud
hours. The morning session of a Class
*November 18, Operation & MainD workshop is the same as a standtenance, Clarks Grove
alone four-hour workshop for Class E
MRWA Class E Training
*December 10, Operation & Mainteoperators; thus, Class E operators may
October 8, Ely
nance, Biwabik
attend either the stand-alone four-hour
November 25, Mankato
workshop or the morning session of the
The workshops listed above include a December 2, Miltona
Class D workshop.
certification exam. Other training dates
are available at http://mrwa.com/training.
html.
For an up-to-date list of events, see the training calendar on the MDH web site:
http://health.state.mn.us/water/wateroperator/trng/wat_op_sched.html