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ERMUSR MISC LETTER 12-09-2008Ji Elk River -~ Municipal Utilities 13069 Orono Parkway • P.O. Box 430 Etk River, MN 55330-0430 December 1, 2008 To: Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission Jerry Takle John Dietz Jerry Gumphrey From: Troy Adams Subject: Miscellaneous Issues Phone: ?63.441.2020 Fax: 763.441.8099 Enclosed is the packet for the Thursday, December 9, 2008 regular commission meeting at 5:00 p.m. Electric usage is up 6.6% year to date. Water usage is down 2.5% year to date. The repairs to the power plant roof have been completed with the exception of the metal cap on the parapet walls. The metal cap is for aesthetics so the roof is water tight as is. The delay is due to the metal fabricator's schedule and will be installed soon. During the process, a leaky roof drain and cracked PVC roof drainpipe were discovered. To insure leak free installation, the roof drain and roof penetration were fixed prior to repairing the roof in that section. Attached are some pictures of the roofing project. On November 20, the annual inspection of the plant and landfill generation facilities was performed by AIG, the insurance underwriter. The preliminary feedback from the inspector was positive and included some recommendations for additional safety alarms and improvements. Attached are two related articles regarding the purity of bottled water. The first article is "Bottled Water New -Study Finds Contaminants in `Pure' bottled water Bottler Sues Utility for `Attack' on its Product" from the National Rural Water Association. The second is "Your `pure' Bottled Water has Contaminants, Too" from http://www.MSNBC.com. Both articles refer to a two-year study conducted by the Environmental Working Group of Washington, D.C. that found bottled water to be no more pure than tap water. Promoting Education with Teachers CCR Compliance Is 100 Percent Community water systems in Minnesota achieved 100 percent compliance for submissions of 2007 Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR). "This is impressive," said Kathy Russell, who handles the CCR submissions for the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). "Because Minne- sotasystems submit these reports on time, MDH has achieved some of the best CCR compliance rates in the nation." Red Flag Rule Related to Identity Theft Delayed to May 2009 As part of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, the "Red Flag Rule" to address discrepancies and spot identity-theft red flags has been delayed until May 1, 2009. Although the rule principally applies to banks, large credit institutions, and high-volume transaction entities, the definitions in the rule for "creditor" and "covered account" appear to apply to drinking-water utilities for customer data protection and fraud prevention, according to the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA). Because many utilities are part of a larger municipal entity, these "red flag" provisions should/would be handled through the local government rather than separately or individually by the water system. Those systems that are not part of a municipal structure would also have responsibility to protect their customers but are less likely to use electronic means to accept payments. For most water utilities, Red Flag Program enforcement would depend primarily on customer complaints to the Federal Trade Commission. "Protecting water utility customer information against iden- tity theft is both a good business practice and an enhance- ment to a water system's security efforts. Cybersecurity protections are often overlooked," according to ASDWA. The complete rule in the Federal Register is available at http: //w ww. occ.treas. gov/fr/fedregister/72fr63718.pdf. Ground Water Rule Assessment Monitoring Assessment Source Water Monitoring will be one of three primary Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Ground Water Rule procedures with the other being Triggered Source Water Monitoring and sanitary survey significant deficiency identification. This rule provision focuses on new or existing ground water sources that may be susceptible to fecal contamination. MDH will require a small number of ground water systems to conduct monthly monitoring for potential fecal indicators during a 12-month period. Local pathogen sources, well availability, geologic sensitivity, disinfection status, and past water quality analyses will be used to select candidates. Systems will benefit through early identification of any potential fecal contamination as part of Ground Water Rule activities. Bottled Water News Study Finds Contaminants in "Pure" Bottled Water Bottler Sues Utility for `Attack" on Its Product The Environmental Working Group of Washington, D. C., found a variety of contaminants-including coliform bacteria, caffeine, acetaminophen, fertilizer, solvents, plastic-making chemicals, and the radioactive element strontium-in 10 brands of bottled water it purchased in California, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. Although the brands met federal health standards for drinking water, the tests indicated that bottled water is no purer than tap water. Jane Houlihan, one of the study's co-authors, said, "In some cases, it appears bottled water is no less polluted than tap water and, at 1,900 times the cost, consumers should expect better." Meanwhile, Nestle Waters North America, makers of Zephyrhills bottled water, is threatening to sue a Florida water utility for a series of radio ads in which tap water was characterized as cheaper, purer, and safer than bottled water. The ads featured a talking water faucet saying, "You think bottled water is purer and safer? You think it's better? Well, you're wrong. It's just the opposite. Bottled water is not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Tap water is. That's why you always can be sure Miami-Dade tap water is superior. Stop wasting your money!" According to John Renfrow of the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, the ads were aimed at a large immigrant population, particularly those from areas that don't have a reliable and safe supply of water. A Nestle spokesman called the ads "an attack on the product we produce." However, environmental groups characterized the threatened lawsuit "as a warning shot from an industry worried about slow sales after years of gushing growth." Articles on these stories are available on-line at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27185076 and http:// www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/723788.htm1. Minnesota American Water Works Association had a booth at the Education Minnesota Conference to promote its educational materials to teachers from around the state. i UUl ~U1C UULUCU WCLICI 11QJ GU11lit111111C1111J~ lUV - L1Cl 2UlU 11UL11L1V11 i'a~'C 1 Vl L fir' MSNBC.com `~f~I~C g~l~o"~` ~~ ~t~l1` ~~ C~1'!tc'~t'116i'1~111'~S, '~® Study finds 38 chemicals in 10 brands, including those common in tap water The Associated Press updated 10:44 a.m. CT, Wed., Nov. 12, 2008 Tests on leading brands of bottled water turned up a variety of contaminants, including cancer-linked chemicals three times higher than California's health standard, according to a study released Wednesday by an environmental advocacy group. The findings challenge the popular impression -and marketing pitch -that bottled water is purer than tap water, the researchers say. However, all the brands met federal health standards for drinking water. And most of the detected contaminants are common in tap water, too. Lab tests detected 38 chemicals in 10 brands, with an average of eight contaminants found in each kind of bottled water. Tests showed coliform bacteria, caffeine, the pain reliever acetaminophen, fertilizer, solvents, plastic-making chemicals and the radioactive element strontium. The two-year study was done by the Washington-based Environmental Working Group, an organization founded by scientists that advocates stricter regulation. It bought bottled water in California, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Sam's Choice, Acadia post high levels Researchers tested one batch for each of 10 brands. Eight of those did not have troubling levels of contaminants. But two brands did, so more tests were done and those revealed chlorine byproducts above California's standard. The researchers identified those two brands as Sam's Choice sold by Wal-Mart and Acadia of Giant Food supermarkets. The other eight, which researchers didn't identify, carried legal levels of many contaminants. Some of those chemicals, like arsenic and the solvent toluene, have been tied to health risks. Some of the contaminants apparently came from pollutants often found in tap water, and others probably leached from plastic bottles, the researchers said. In the Wal-Mart and Giant Food bottled water, the highest concentration of chlorine byproducts, known as trihalomethanes, was over 35 parts per billion. California requires 10 parts per billion or less, and the industry's International Bottled Water Association makes 10 its voluntary guideline. The federal limit is 80. Water researcher Dr. David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment of the University at Albany, who had no role in the study, singled out trihalomethanes as the biggest concern because of strong research links to cancer. "These are levels that should not be in bottled water," he said. Giant Food officials declined to comment. Instead, company officials released a brief statement asserting that Acadia meets all regulatory standards. Acadia is sold in the mid-Atlantic states, so it isn't held to California's standard. In most places, bottled water must meet roughly the same federal standards as tap water. The researchers also said the Wal-Mart brand exceeded California's limit by five times for a second chlorine byproduct, bromodichloromethane. The Environmental Working Group said it notified California's attorney general of its intent to sue Wal-Mart. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27185076/prindl/displaymode/1098/ 11/26/2008 1 VU.1 ~U1G UVLLICU WiLLGI 1121) l%V11 Li1111111Q11LJ~ LVV ' L1GL CUlii 1l1iL11Li V11 i R~j~+ /. va v The group wants the company to label its bottles in California with a warning of cancer-causing chemicals. Wal-Mart did not respond to a request for comment. Joe Doss, president of the International Bottled Water Association, said he would not defend any company that is exceeding the standard in California. "If they have exceeded it, they should meet it," he said. Chlorine linked to birth defects The chlorine byproducts, which studies have also linked to birth defects, presumably come from chlorine used as a disinfectant, which ends up in public water systems. Tap water is often repackaged and sold as bottled water, and the researchers say that was true of these two brands. "In some cases, it appears bottled water is no less polluted than tap water and, at 1,900 times the cost, consumers should expect better," said Jane Houlihan, an environmental engineer who co-authored the study. The researchers recommend that people who are worried use a carbon filter for their tap water. © 2008 The Associated Press. A11 rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 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