Continued: Water tests have cities wondering about what's next

Residents of 15 Minnesota communities will hear in a few months whether government tests discover firefighting chemicals in their local water supplies.

In the meantime, a state Health Department official said Saturday, any people concerned about the potential risk can purify their home water with an inexpensive, point-of-use carbon filter.

State officials on Friday announced an investigation into whether drinking water supplies have been contaminated with 3M firefighting foams that have drained from training sites used by fire departments over many years.

The water systems to be tested are in Apple Valley, Brooklyn Center, Burnsville, Richfield, Rochester and 10 other communities. The testing is being done as a precaution, because of the proximity of wells to fire training sites and other factors. Results will be available later this year.

Tim Wilson, mayor of Brooklyn Center, said Saturday he hadn't heard from worried residents, but "in my opinion people will be concerned and rightly so." He said he supported the proactive testing by the Health Department and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Even if the chemicals, known as PFCs, are found, officials have said the health concern is related to long-term exposure.

"We don't mean to minimize this when we talk about the chronic, long-term effects, but you do have a little more time to deal with it," said Stew Thornley, a health educator for the Health Department.

For now, the Health Department isn't recommending that residents need to switch to filtered or even bottled water, he said.

But that's an option for anyone concerned about the possibility of chemicals in their water. Some residents with refrigerator or water-tap filters already may be covered.

A private lab hired by the Health Department tested 11 household filters and reported last year that they all removed PFCs from water. The results can be found at www.health.state.mn.us. The filter testing was done after the same chemicals were discovered in Washington County groundwater in 2002.

"We don't make a habit of recommending treatment," Thornley said of the point-of-use filters. "For those who would feel more comfortable having it, they have been shown to be effective.

David Shaffer • 612-673-7090

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