Staff has
been very concerned about the failing water tests for the Maywood/Deerwood
Drive neighborhood related to water main work in this area. Failed tests associated with construction
activities are not uncommon, but this situation had gone on longer than one
would expect. Because of our concerns,
we have been conducting sampling outside the project area the week of August 20th. The tests revealed that we have total coliform in a portion of our active water distribution system. (See
map for affected area). As a point of
reference, we completed a city-wide sampling of the water for routine water
monitoring as required by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) for the
on-going operation of our water system on August 15th. All eleven of those random samplings passed
MDH requirements and standards. Therefore, our issue is of recent origin.
Citing the
MDH, total
coliform bacteria is common in the environment (usually found in soil) and is generally not harmful. The
source of total coliform is most likely from contamination from the
environment, introduced during construction or while repairs to plumbing or a
water main were underway (See MDH Consumer Notice for additional information). The City currently has two construction
projects in this area that could be possible sources of our problem. It should be noted that E. coli bacteria, a group of potentially harmful bacteria, has also been tested for and was not detected in our water supply.
While our failed tests do not imply
an imminent health threat, the City wants to have this issue resolved as soon
as possible. To address the problem, we are flushing the
water mains in the affected area, temporarily adding chlorine to the water
system in the affected area, and continuing to sample around the community to
ensure the limits of the problem are confined and dealt with
appropriately. We are working with the
MDH to correct this issue as quickly as possible.
As users
of the water system, what should you do? According to MDH’s Consumer Notice, you may drink the water. However, if you have specific health
concerns, you may want to consider an alternate source of water for consumption
such as bottled water or boiling of water for one minute.
While the
MDH has not required the City to provide this notice, we do want transparency
and accountability as we work through this issue. We also want to ensure that accurate
information is available to the community. To help answer further comments and questions, we have created a
INFORMATIONAL LINE. That number is 651-554-3291 and will be staffed from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on regular business days. Once this issue is resolved, we will place a notice on the City’s
website and Facebook page.
Your
patience and understanding is appreciated as we deal with this matter.