Results of Monitoring St. Louis Park Water Released; Some Contaminants at Borderline

The mid-year report on St. Louis Park's water quality monitoring project have been released to the public. So far, no contaminants have been detected at level that violate federal water quality standards. However, there is cause for concern about levels of Alpha Emitters and Combined Radium.

The levels of Fluoride, Haloacetic Acids, Nitrates, Total Trihalomethanes, Trichloroethylene, Vinyl Chloride, cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene, and trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene were all within federal standards, and some of them were far below federal standards.

Two areas of particular concern, though, are the Alpha Emitters and Combined Radium. Both would be in violation of federal standards except for a technicality. Four quarterly samples are required to determine compliance, and as of the end of 2007 only three had been taken.

The goal for both contaminants is zero pico-Curies per liter. There were an average of 17.8 units of the Alpha Emitters, where the maximum allowed is 15.4 units. And for Combined Radium, our average was 9.33 units when the maximum allowed is 5.4 units. Both contaminants are attributed to the erosion of natural deposits.

A concern was raised last year about possible radon contaminants in the water. However, the average of 75 pico-Curies per liter is well below the 300 Maximum Contaminant Level for states without a Indoor Air Program. States with an Indoor Air Program must meet a level of 4,000 pico-Curies per liter maximum.

Other unregulated contaminants found in the water in measurable amounts were Sodium (at 29 ppm) and Sulfate (at 34.1 ppm). Both are attributed to erosion of natural deposits.

Radioactive elements are measured in pico-Curies per liter (pCi/l). Parts per billions (ppb) can also be written as micrograms per liter. Part per million (ppm) can also be written as milligrams per liter (mg/l).

None of the findings have triggered an official Action Level. The report can be found online at www.stlouispark.org, but it is only a collection of charts and definitions. (I have tried to translate them into understandable language.

In related news, the EPA has installed mitigation systems in the Hwy. 7-Wooddale Ave. soil vapor study area. The earlier news report about the start of the soil monitoring program in St. Louis Park can be read here on Newsvine at -- http://minnieapolis.newsvine.com/_news/2007/12/26/1186226-minneapolis-suburbs-hunt-for-volatile-organic-compounds-leaks.)

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