Minnesota
Local wells have some of Minnesota’s highest arsenic levels in drinking water. Is there a fix?
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HALSTAD, Minn. — Tens of hundreds of years in the past, glaciers superior into what’s now Minnesota and North Dakota.
As they receded, they deposited sediments heavy with bits and items of limestone, shale and granite. And one thing else — arsenic.
Right now, arsenic is widespread in groundwater throughout North Dakota and Minnesota,
and testing exhibits {that a} comparatively excessive proportion of personal wells in Clay, Norman and Polk counties
comprise arsenic ranges above 10 micrograms per liter, the protection threshold set by the Environmental Safety Company for group water programs.
These three Minnesota counties are amongst 27 counties within the state the place testing has proven that 20% or extra of personal wells have
arsenic ranges above 10 micrograms per liter.
In Clay County, 39% of examined wells exceed that security threshold, putting it fourth behind Norman County (43%), Mahnomen County (42%) and McLeod County (40%), based on Minnesota Division of Well being numbers.
Lengthy-term publicity to arsenic in ingesting water might enhance the dangers for a number of forms of most cancers, together with liver, bladder and lung most cancers. It might probably additionally trigger nervous system points and hypertension.
Well being officers say the danger from arsenic in ingesting water could also be affected by many issues, together with a person’s sensitivity to arsenic, the quantity of arsenic within the water, the quantity of water consumed and the size of time individuals drink the water.
Twenty years in the past, the EPA dropped the suitable arsenic normal from 50 micrograms per liter to 10 micrograms per liter. Municipal water suppliers responded by filtering and treating water.
Non-public wells are much less regulated, and in North Dakota and Minnesota it’s left to landowners to determine whether or not and how one can deal with their properly water, although well being officers in each states encourage property house owners
to have their wells routinely examined for arsenic
, a semi-metallic component that’s tasteless and odorless.
For cities and rural householders in northwest Minnesota, a proposal now gaining traction might provide a long-term and cost-effective answer for coping with many sorts of water high quality points, together with arsenic.
Officers in Polk and Norman counties have handed resolutions which have began the approval course of for what’s being known as the West Central Regional Water District, which might embody all of Norman County and a big portion of Polk County.
Backers of a brand new water district say the northern tier of Clay County may be included within the potential district, however to this point Clay County has not joined its neighboring counties in supporting the thought.
When the thought was introduced to Clay County commissioners in November, Commissioner Kevin Campbell mentioned he wish to have extra data earlier than deciding whether or not or not the county would take part within the district-forming course of and he mentioned not too long ago that continues to be the case.
Sarah Sesselman, an engineer with AE2S, a water engineering consulting agency who helps native officers navigate the water district approval course of, mentioned she plans to offer Clay County with extra data, including that with Norman and Polk counties having OK’d the water district thought it now goes to Minnesota district courtroom, which should give its approval earlier than the district can formally be shaped and a neighborhood governing physique established.
Sesselman mentioned a part of establishing a brand new water provide district contains conducting an engineering examine to find out the most suitable choice for maximizing the amount and high quality of water supplied to communities and rural houses whereas holding the price reasonably priced.
She mentioned AE2S has been offering native officers with engineering help within the lead-up to the formation of a potential water district with the purpose of being included in any future challenge that will come up.
An idea that has acquired preliminary exploration is a pipeline that will faucet into the East Central Water District in North Dakota, which takes groundwater in North Dakota and cleans it up utilizing reverse osmosis, a course of that neutralizes issues like arsenic and odors and yields water that’s wholesome and nice to make use of, based on Sesselman.
Town of Climax in Polk County, which prior to now wanted to deal with the arsenic in its water through the use of its personal filtration system, not too long ago transformed to utilizing North Dakota groundwater supplied by the East Central Regional Water District (ECRWD) in North Dakota, which pulls water from numerous aquifers, together with t
he Elk Valley Aquifer
close to Larimore and the Galesburg and
Paige aquifers.
Underneath the association between town of Climax and the ECRWD, North Dakota water is transported to Climax through a pipeline below the Crimson River and Climax pays the water district a charge based mostly on how a lot water it receives.
Sesselman mentioned if the brand new water district is established in Minnesota, a pipeline or sequence of pipelines may play a job in getting ECRWD water to numerous municipalities and personal houses in northwest Minnesota, although North Dakota would not essentially be the one supply of water for Minnesota communities.
The price of the infrastructure wanted to do this could be within the tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}, however Sesselman mentioned state and federal {dollars} could be sought to offset the price.
Sesselman harassed that the thought of serving northwest Minnesota with a water pipeline will solely grow to be a actuality whether it is decided to be an economical choice for its supposed customers, which may quantity about 15,000 individuals if Clay County joins the 2 founding counties as a accomplice within the new water district.
She additionally harassed that whereas the brand new water provide for the counties would remedy points like arsenic, it will additionally improve high quality in lots of different methods, probably offering higher water than the water many residents within the proposed water district obtain now.
Lucas Spaeth, superintendent of utilities in Halstad, mentioned that group has been pushing for the water district to be shaped for a number of years, as a result of town views the thought as the most suitable choice for offering long-term, wholesome water high quality at an reasonably priced value.
Spaeth mentioned town of Halstad doesn’t have an arsenic challenge with its water, however he mentioned numerous different communities within the area do.
In line with Sesselmen, Minnesota cities alongside the U.S. Freeway 75 hall which have expressed assist for a brand new water district embody Beltrami, Borup, Fertile, Georgetown, Halstad, Nielsville, Shelly, Halstad, Hendrum and Perley.
Spaeth mentioned a request was made final yr to have preliminary funding for a pipeline be included in a bonding invoice in Minnesota, however no bonding invoice was handed.
He mentioned the same request within the quantity of about $8 million has been made to the Legislature once more this yr.
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Minnesota
NEXT Weather: 10 p.m. forecast from June 21, 2024
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Minnesota
Minnesota Vikings: JJ McCarthy Gets Shocking Take On Week 1 Outlook
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The starting quarterback role is not going to be served on a silver platter right away for Minnesota Vikings rookie JJ McCarthy. While McCarthy has been generating plenty of hype and excitement among Vikings fans, he will still have to earn the QB1 role as he’s expected to battle it out with Sam Darnold in training camp.
NFL Insider Thinks JJ McCarthy Has a Low Chance of Starting in Week 1 for the Minnesota Vikings
For what it’s worth, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer even thinks that there’s nearly zero chance McCarthy gets the gig in Week 1.
“I’d say less than 10%. And that’s not any affront to McCarthy, who, by all accounts, had a fine spring in Minnesota, Breer answered when asked about McCarthy’s odds to start in Week 1 when the Vikings take on the New York Giants on the road – a game that is scheduled to take place on Sep. 8 at MetLife Stadium.
Kevin Kevin O’Connell had already said that Darnold is the top guy on the depth chart going into depth chart, though, that doesn’t mean that the door is already closed for McCarthy as a potential No. 1 option in Week 1.
“I would say Sam would be the guy I would look to based on the spring he’s had and, really, where he’s at in his career and his quarterback journey,” O’Connell recently said (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk).
Darnold isn’t a long-term option for the Vikings, though. McCarthy will just have to be patient and learn everything he can behind Darnold for now. The former third pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Darnold was signed by the Vikings to a one-year deal worth $10 million last March.
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Minnesota
Boosted by Trump's visit, Minnesota GOP raised more than $1 million last month
The Republican Party of Minnesota pulled in about $1.1 million in donations last month, boosted by former President Donald Trump headlining its annual fundraising dinner, according to its latest federal campaign finance report.
The Minnesota GOP reported having about $502,000 on hand in its federal campaign account at the end of May, and roughly $34,000 in debt. It’s a notable turnaround for the party whose debt exceeded $400,000 late last year.
“I believe we’re in as strong a position as maybe we’ve been in recent times,” state GOP chairman David Hann said in an interview Friday.
The Minnesota GOP also has a state campaign account. At the end of May, the party reported having $78,191 in that account while carrying $103,065 in debt.
Hann said the party paid off its remaining state and federal account debts this month.
“It’s been about 18 years since the party has been debt-free, and we are now debt-free,” he said.
Most of the money raised by the Minnesota GOP last month came from the fundraiser that Trump headlined, Hann said. “The dinner itself was … not a million, but it was close.”
Trump’s presidential campaign also raised money from the visit, taking in about $300,000 in direct donations, Hann said.
Trump is hoping to become the first Republican presidential candidate to win Minnesota since 1972. A Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 Minnesota poll conducted earlier this month found President Joe Biden holding a narrow lead over Trump.
Minnesota Republicans have their sights set on flipping the state House and ending the DFL’s trifecta control of state government. Control of the state Senate will also be on the ballot via a high-stakes special election to fill a west-metro seat vacated by DFL Sen. Kelly Morrison, who resigned to focus on her campaign for Congress. The Minnesota Senate is deadlocked 33-33 after Morrison’s departure.
The Minnesota DFL holds a fundraising advantage over the GOP, even after Trump’s visit.
The DFL similarly raised about $1.1 million in May, according to its federal campaign finance report, and it reported having $1.8 million on hand and zero debt at the end of the month.
Additionally, the DFL reported having $2 million and no debt in its state campaign account at the end of May.
“Even after they sold their souls to convicted felon Donald Trump, Minnesota Republicans still aren’t close to closing the gap with the Minnesota DFL,” state DFL chairman Ken Martin said in a statement Friday. “The DFL has a six-fold cash on hand advantage which has given us the resources to hire organizers and open offices in every corner of Minnesota.”
Staff writer Briana Bierschbach contributed to this report.
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