It's not just a drought that's plaguing Minnesota's water needs.
Earlier this month, Bluestem republished Commentary from MinnPost: Can the state control nitrates in Minnesota waters?
I thought of that headline when I read a breaking news headline in the Worthington Globe, Warning issued for Ellsworth water: 'Do not give the water to infants.'
In an article posted to the newspaper's website just after 2:00 p.m. Thursday, there's this:
The city of Ellsworth has issued a drinking water warning after water sample results collected July 18 and July 24 showed high levels of nitrates.
"Do not give the water to infants under 6 months old or use it to make infant formula," the notice states in bold text above the rest of its information.
Nitrate levels of 15 mg/L were detected, which exceeds the nitrate standard, or maximum contaminant level, of 10.4 mg/L. Nitrate in drinking water is a serious health concern for infants less than 6 months old, it states.
Nitrates can come from natural, industrial or agricultural sources, including septic systems and run-off, and levels of nitrate in drinking water can vary throughout the year.
The notice emphasizes that water should not be given to infants, and that those younger than 6 months who drink water with nitrates higher than 10.4 mg/L could become seriously ill and, if untreated, even die. . . .
"Ellsworth water system is exploring methods to reduce the levels of nitrate, which may include an alternative water source or water treatment," the notice states. "You will be informed when our public water system has reduced the level below the MCL and meets the standard."
People are requested to share the information with anyone who drinks Ellsworth water, particularly those who may not have received the notice directly, particularly those in apartments, nursing homes, schools and businesses.
Read all the details at the Globe.
Now, there's no source for the ntirates listed, but we wondered if Ellsworth, a Nobles County city of 497 people on the Minnesota-Iowa border, had ever experienced nitrate-in-the-drinking-water issues in the past.
Yes.
Back in 2016, Barry Amiundeson reported for the Globe in Fighting nitrates: Ellsworth wages a battle for water quality:
A few southwest Minnesota towns have been treating drinking water for nitrates for years, and in at least one case, in Ellsworth, for almost 25 years.
City supervisor Matt Buntjer said it’s not cheap using a reverse osmosis system from a Florida company that has long gone out of business - but it’s necessary, and the problem is getting worse.
Ellsworth, a town of 450 people only a mile from the Iowa border, is an area where shallow wells and intensive farming have created the problem.
There are some solutions in store, but no one living in the small towns want to complain about the farming aspect of the problem because they know the producers are the lifeblood of their communities that dot the landscape among the vast fields and pastures of the region.
And the shallow wells not far from the treatment plant that Ellsworth uses are only 26 feet to 32 feet deep. It’s a fact of life, but it adds another challenge to providing quality water.
Buntjer said the water is “really good,” except for the nitrates. . . .
Read the rest of the 2016 article at the Globe.
Apparently, the problem persisted. In 2020, Tim Blotz reported for Fox9 News in Report: Potentially dangerous nitrate levels found in some Minnesota drinking water:
A new study on Minnesota drinking water shows 22 public water systems tested for nitrate levels twice as high as federal standards allow. At that rate it can lead to a deadly blood disorder in infants called blue baby syndrome and possibly cancer
The federal standard is 10 milligrams per liter of water. In some public water supply systems, the concentrations are higher.
“The main issue with nitrate is in rural areas,” said Anne Weir Schechinger of the Environmental Working Group.
Many agricultural crops in Minnesota rely on nitrates to achieve peak production. In areas with high drainage soils in southeastern Minnesota and areas where there are few aquifers in southwestern Minnesota, however, it can lead to contamination issues.In a new review of state data, the Environmental Working Group found almost 300,000 Minnesotans drink water from public systems where nitrate was found at above 5 milligrams per liter. Another 150,000 people drink water from public systems that tested at or above the federal limit.
Several community systems have tested at more than twice the federal limit. They include Adrian at 32 milligrams per liter; Clear Lake at 27 mg/L; Ellsworth at 23 mg/L. Sandsruds Court, which is a trailer park community, tested at 28 mg/L. That’s almost three times the limit. Schecinger argues the federal limit is too high.
“So that maximum contaminant level was set at 10, all based on 1960s science, all based on blue baby syndrome,” said Schecinger. “So, the maximum contaminant level isn’t taking into account any of these new studies showing the cancer cases and the birth defects at lower levels of nitrate.”
Minnesota’s Department of Health believes the scientific data does not support lowering the federal standard.
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