By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
Last Tuesday, the City of Northfield hosted an open house information session about the proposed water treatment plant to address the high amount of Manganese in city water for infants and pregnant mothers. City staff led the presentation and spent about 45 minutes answering questions from the public. The city also recorded the event in video and will share a link to the recording when it is posted.
You can see our previous story on the water treatment plant and its costs by clicking here.
The city staff portion of the presentation was similar to previous presentations at city council meetings; however, staff from the Minnesota Department of Health also attended the event to provide information about manganese and its effects.
Manganese is a naturally occurring element; every human needs a small amount in their diet. Usually, manganese is consumed through foods grown in the ground, like vegetables. However, too much manganese can become a problem. Environmental Protection Agency and Minnesota Department of Health guidelines state that infants should only consume 100 Micrograms per liter (μg/L) of manganese and that older children and adults should only consume 300 Micrograms per liter (μg/L).
In 2019 and 2020, when testing was done on Northfield’s 5 wells, 4 of the wells tested for more than 100 Micrograms per liter (μg/L) of manganese. Additional testing of homes and businesses around Northfield found that most locations had too much water management for infants. The city of Northfield has since sent information to the affected families. Northfield Hospital and Alina Health have contacted families of infants and newborns, providing information about where to drink water. The treatment plant will also remove other possible toxins like PFAS or Forever Chemicals. The process of treating these chemicals will also soften all of the water in the city.
When asked about proper steps families should take, MDH recommends reviewing the fine print on the label of both your refrigerator and any other water filters (like a Brita filter) to see if they remove manganese, as it is not industry standard that filters do so.
KYMN asked MDH why this was not a legal mandate but only a guideline. The department staff noted that legally, MDH could not require the city to build this plant; however, these guidelines are the strongest recommendation they can make. Furthermore, other cities that use the same aquifer, like St. Peter, have treatment plants similar to those proposed by Northfield.
View the full recording of the event below:
