Making Safe Drinking Water

Your drinking water comes from a groundwater source: six wells ranging from 123 to 187 feet deep, that draw water from the Quaternary Water Table aquifer.

Brainerd works hard to provide you with safe and reliable drinking water that meets federal and state water quality requirements. The purpose of this report is to provide you with information on your drinking water and how to protect our precious water resources.

Contact Todd Wicklund, at 218-825-3220 or twicklund@bpu.org if you have questions about Brainerd’s drinking water. You can also ask for information about how you can take part in decisions that may affect water quality.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets safe drinking water standards. These standards limit the amounts of specific contaminants allowed in drinking water. This ensures that tap water is safe to drink for most people. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates the amount of certain contaminants in bottled water. Bottled water must provide the same public health protection as public tap water.

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Some People Are More Vulnerable to Contaminants in Drinking Water

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. The developing fetus and therefore pregnant women may also be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water. These people or their caregivers should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Learn More about Your Drinking Water

Drinking Water Sources

Groundwater supplies 75 percent of Minnesota’s drinking water, and is found in aquifers beneath the surface of the land. Surface water supplies 25 percent of Minnesota’s drinking water, and is the water in lakes, rivers, and streams above the surface of the land. Contaminants can get in drinking water sources from the natural environment and from people’s daily activities. There are five main types of contaminants in drinking water sources.

The Minnesota Department of Health provides information about your drinking water source(s) in a source water assessment, including:

Find your source water assessment at Source Water Assessments (https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/swp/swa) or call 651-201-4700 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Lead in Drinking Water

You may be in contact with lead through paint, water, dust, soil, food, hobbies, or your job. Coming in contact with lead can cause serious health problems for everyone. There is no safe level of lead. Babies, children under six years, and pregnant women are at the highest risk.

Lead is rarely in a drinking water source, but it can get in your drinking water as it passes through lead service lines and your household plumbing system. Brainerd is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but it cannot control the plumbing materials used in private buildings.

Read below to learn how you can protect yourself from lead in drinking water.

1. for 30-60 seconds before using it for drinking or cooking if the water has not been turned on in over six hours. If you have a lead service line, you may need to let the water run longer. A service line is the underground pipe that brings water from the main water pipe under the street to your home.
   1. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/06/24/npr-find-lead-pipes-in-your-home
2. for drinking, making food, and making baby formula. Hot water releases more lead from pipes than cold water.
3. In most cases, letting the water run and using cold water for drinking and cooking should keep lead levels low in your drinking water. If you are still concerned about lead, arrange with a laboratory to test your tap water. Testing your water is important if young children or pregnant women drink your tap water.
   1. Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (https://eldo.web.health.state.mn.us/public/accreditedlabs/labsearch.seam)
      The Minnesota Department of Health can help you understand your test results.
4. if a test shows your water has high levels of lead after you let the water run.
   1. Point-of-Use Water Treatment Units for Lead Reduction (https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/factsheet/poulead.html)

Learn more:

• Lead in Drinking Water (https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/contaminants/lead.html)
• Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water (http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead)
• To learn about how to reduce your contact with lead from sources other than your drinking water, visit Common Sources (https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/lead/fs/common.html).

Water systems have ongoing infrastructure, operations and maintenance costs in supplying safe drinking water, and many are implementing additional efforts to help insure health equity and manageable water bills with:

• Turn the faucet off while brushing teeth.
• Shower instead of bathing to reduce water use.
• Fix running toilets by replacing flapper valves.
• Run full loads of laundry and use a minimal water use setting.
• Our water system partners with others to help consumers with limited resources make payments to their water bills.
• Contact us to learn more.