"This year again brings good news" for Cloquet residents who rely on the city's water supply, according to the city's Drinking Water Quality Report released in recent weeks. In a nutshell, the water is safe to drink.
During the 2007 calendar year, no contaminants were found at levels that violated federal drinking water standards. The city of Cloquet provides drinking water to its residents from four wells ranging from 68-120 feet deep.
Trace amounts of contaminants were found in the drinking water, which does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk, the report said.
Following is a breakdown of the chemicals tested and their levels.
Fluoride was detected at 1.22 parts per million and is added to water to promote strong teeth. The state's maximum allowable level is 4.
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Haloacetic acids were found at 11.6 parts per billion, well below the allowable level of 60. These acids are a by-product of drinking water disinfection.
Testing detected nitrate, in the form of nitrogen, at 1.5 parts per million. It can come from fertilizer runoff, leaching from septic tanks, sewage or erosion of natural deposits. The allowable level is 10.
Total trihalomethans were found at 22.2 parts per billion and are a by-product of drinking water disinfection as well. The state's maximum allowable level is 80 parts per billion.
Radon, which can pose a lung cancer risk when the gas is released into the air, was found at 769 picoCuries per liter and comes from the erosion of natural deposits. Minnesota plans to adopt an Indoor Air Program once a Radon Rule is finalized. In other states, a maximum contaminant level of 4,000 picoCuries per liter has been adopted.
Chlorine, added to water to control microbes, was detected at .75 parts per million, which is well below the state's allowed maximum of 4 parts per million.
Ninety percent of copper samples were less than .67 parts per million, which is below the maximum allowable level of 1.3. Ninety percent of lead testing came back with none detected.
For more information about the entire source water assessment, call 651-201-4700, 1-800-818-9318 (and press 5) or visit www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/swp/swa .
