HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021 Consumer Confidence ReportCONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT
Saint Joseph 2021 Drinking Water Report
This report contains important information about your drinking water. Have someone translate it for you,
or speak with someone who understands it.
Making Safe Drinking Water
Your drinking water comes from a groundwater source: six wells ranging from 64 to 75 feet deep, that
draw water from the Quaternary Water Table aquifer.
Saint Joseph works hard to provide you with safe and reliable drinking water that meets federal and state
water quality requirements. The purpose of this report is to provide you with information on your drinking
water and how to protect our precious water resources.
Contact RYAN WENSMANN, Public Works Director, at (320) 557-3819 or rwensmann@cityofstjoseph.com
if you have questions about Saint Joseph’s drinking water. You can also ask for information about how you
can take partin decisionsthat may affect water quality.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets safe drinking water standards. These standards limit the
amounts of specific contaminants allowed in drinking water. This ensures that tap water is safe to drink for
most people. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates the amount of certain contaminants in
bottled water. Bottled water must provide the same public health protection as public tap water.
Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of
some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health
risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the
Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
Saint Joseph Monitoring Results
This report contains our monitoring results from January 1 to December 31, 2021.
We work with the Minnesota Department of Health to test drinking water for more than 100
contaminants. It is not unusual to detect contaminants in small amounts. No water supply is ever
completely free of contaminants. Drinking water standards protect Minnesotans from substances that may
be harmful to their health.
Learn more by visiting the Minnesota Department of Health’s webpage Basics of Monitoring and testing of
Drinking Water in Minnesota
PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY IDENTIFICATION (PWSID): 1730033 PAGE 1
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT
(https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/factsheet/sampling.html).
How to Read the Water Quality Data Tables
The tables below show the contaminants we found last year or the most recent time we sampled for that
contaminant. They also show the levels of those contaminants and the Environmental Protection Agency’s
limits. Substances that we tested for but did not find are not included in the tables.
We sample for some contaminants less than once a year because their levels in water are not expected to
change from year to year. If we found any of these contaminants the last time we sampled for them, we
included them in the tables below with the detection date.
We may have done additional monitoring for contaminants that are not included in the Safe Drinking
Water Act. To request a copy of these results, call the Minnesota Department of Health at 651-201-4700
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Some contaminants are monitored regularly throughout the year, and rolling (or moving) annual averages
are used to manage compliance. Because of this averaging, there are times where the Range of Detected
Test Results for the calendar year is lower than the Highest Average or Highest Single Test Result, because
it occurred in the previous calendar year.
Definitions
AL (Action Level): The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or
other requirements which a water system must follow.
EPA: Environmental Protection Agency
MCL (Maximum contaminant level): The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking
water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment
technology.
MCLG (Maximum contaminant level goal): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below
which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
MRDL (Maximum residual disinfectant level): The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in
drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control
of microbial contaminants.
MRDLG (Maximum residual disinfectant level goal): The level of a drinking water disinfectant
below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of
the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
N/A (Not applicable): Does not apply.
ppb (parts per billion): One part per billion in water is like one drop in one billion drops of water, or
ppm (parts per million): One part per million is like one drop in one million drops of water, or
about one cup in a swimming pool. ppm is the same as milligrams per liter (mg/l).
PWSID: Public water system identification.
PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY IDENTIFICATION (PWSID): 1730033 PAGE 2
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT
Monitoring Results – Regulated Substances
LEAD AND COPPER – Tested at customer taps.
Number
EPA’s of
Contaminant(Date, if EPA’s90% of
Ideal Homes
sampled in previous Action ResultsWere ViolationTypical Sources
Goal with
year)LevelLess Than
(MCLG) High
Levels
Lead (09/14/20) 0 ppb90% of 7.2 ppb 2 out of NO Corrosion of
homes 20 household
less than plumbing.
15 ppb
Copper (09/14/20) 0 ppm 90% of 0.17 ppm 0 out of NO Corrosion of
homes 20 household
less than plumbing.
1.3 ppm
INORGANIC & ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS – Tested in drinking water.
Highest
EPA’s
Contaminant EPA’s Average or Range of
Ideal
(Date, if sampled Limit Highest Detected Violation Typical Sources
Goal
in previous year) (MCL) Single Test Test Results
(MCLG)
Result
Nitrate 10 ppm 10.4 1 ppm 0.09 - 1.00 NO Runoff from fertilizer
ppm ppm use; Leaching from
septic tanks, sewage;
Erosion of natural
deposits.
Barium 2 ppm 2 ppm 0.08 ppm N/A NO Discharge of drilling
(12/04/19) wastes; Discharge from
metal refineries; Erosion
of natural deposit.
Mercury 2 ppb 2 ppb 0.1 ppb N/A NO Erosion of natural
(12/04/19) deposits; Dis charge
from refineries and
factories; Runoff from
landfills; Runoff from
cropland.
PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY IDENTIFICATION (PWSID): 1730033 PAGE 3
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT
CONTAMINANTS RELATED TO DISINFECTION – Tested in drinking water.
Highest
EPA’s
Substance (Date, if EPA’s Ideal Average or Range of
Limit
sampled in previous Goal (MCLG Highest Detected Violation Typical Sources
(MCL or
year) or MRDLG) Single Test Test Results
MRDL)
Result
Total N/A 80 ppb 38.4 ppb N/A NO By-product of
Trihalomethanes drinking water
(TTHMs) disinfection.
Total Haloacetic N/A 60 ppb 12.3 ppb N/A NO By-product of
Acids (HAA) drinking water
disinfection.
Total Chlorine 4.0 ppm 4.0 ppm 0.81 ppm 0.65 - 0.83 NO Water additive
ppm used to control
microbes.
Total HAA refers to HAA5
OTHER SUBSTANCES – Tested in drinking water.
Highest
Substance (Date, EPA’s EPA’s Range of
Average or
if sampled in Ideal Goal Limit Detected Violation Typical Sources
Highest Single
previous year) (MCLG) (MCL) Test Results
Test Result
Fluoride 4.0 ppm 4.0 ppm 0.8 ppm 0.72 - 0.93 NO Erosion of natural
ppm deposits; Water
additive to promote
strong teeth.
Some People Are More Vulnerable to Contaminants in Drinking Water
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population.
Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have
undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and
infants can be particularly at risk from infections. The developing fetus and therefore pregnant women
may also be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water. These peopleor their caregiversshould
seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial
contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY IDENTIFICATION (PWSID): 1730033 PAGE 4
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT
Learn More about Your Drinking Water
Drinking Water Sources
Minnesota’s primary drinking water sources are groundwater and surface water. Groundwater is the water
found in aquifers beneath the surface of the land. Groundwater supplies 75 percent of Minnesota’s
drinking water. Surface water is the water in lakes, rivers, and streams above the surface of the land.
Surface water supplies 25 percent of Minnesota’s drinking water.
Contaminants can get in drinking water sources from the natural environment and from people’s daily
activities. There are five main types of contaminants in drinking water sources.
Microbial contaminants,such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Sources include sewage treatment
plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, pets, and wildlife.
Inorganic contaminants include salts and metals from natural sources (e.g. rock and soil), oil and gas
production, mining and farming operations, urban stormwater runoff, and wastewater discharges.
Pesticides and herbicides are chemicals used to reduce or kill unwanted plants and pests. Sources
include agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and commercial and residential properties.
Organic chemical contaminants include synthetic and volatile organic compounds. Sources include
industrial processes and petroleum production, gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic
systems.
Radioactive contaminants such as radium, thorium, and uranium isotopes come from natural sources
(e.g. radon gas from soils and rock), mining operations, and oil and gas production.
The Minnesota Department of Health provides information about your drinking water source(s) in a source
water assessment, including:
How Saint Joseph is protecting your drinking water source(s);
Nearby threats to your drinking water sources;
How easily water and pollution can move from the surface of the land into drinking water sources,
based on natural geology and the way wells are constructed.
Find your source water assessment at Source Water Assessments
(https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/swp/swa)or call 651-201-4700
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Lead in Drinking Water
You may be in contact with lead through paint, water, dust, soil, food, hobbies, or your job. Coming in
contact with lead can cause serious health problems for everyone. There is no safe level of lead. Babies,
children under six years, and pregnant women are at the highest risk.
Lead is rarely in a drinking water source, but it can get in your drinking water as it passes through lead
service lines and your household plumbing system. Saint Joseph is responsible for providinghigh quality
drinking water, but it cannot control the plumbing materials used in private buildings.
Read below to learn how you can protect yourself from lead in drinking water.
PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY IDENTIFICATION (PWSID): 1730033 PAGE 5
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT
1.Let the water run for 30-60 seconds before using it for drinking or cooking if the water has not been
turned on in over six hours. If you have a lead service line, you may need to let the water run longer.A
service line is the underground pipe that brings water from the main water pipe under the street to
your home.
You can find out if you have a lead service line by contacting your public water system, or you can
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/06/24/npr-find-lead-
check by following the steps at:
pipes-in-your-home
The only way to know if lead has been reduced by letting it run is to check with a test. If letting
the water run does not reduce lead, consider other options to reduce your exposure.
2.Use cold water for drinking,making food, and making baby formula. Hot water releases more lead
from pipes than cold water.
3.Test your water. In most cases, letting the water run and using cold water for drinking and cooking
should keep lead levels low in your drinking water. If you are still concerned about lead, arrange with
a laboratory to test your tap water. Testing your water is important if young children or pregnant
women drink your tap water.
Contact a Minnesota Department of Health accredited laboratory to get a sample container and
instructions on how to submit a sample:
Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program
(https://eldo.web.health.state.mn.us/public/accreditedlabs/labsearch.seam)
The Minnesota Department of Health can help you understand your test results.
4.Treat your water if a test shows your water has high levels of lead after you let the water run.
Read about water treatment units:
Point-of-Use Water Treatment Units for Lead Reduction
(https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/factsheet/poulead.html)
Learn more:
Visit Lead in Drinking Water
(https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/contaminants/lead.html)
Visit Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water (http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead)
Call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.To learn about how to reduce your
contact with lead from sources other than your drinking water, visit Common Sources
(https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/lead/fs/common.html).
PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY IDENTIFICATION (PWSID): 1730033 PAGE 6