Brainerd drinking water gets OK

Brainerd's drinking water has been ruled clear of a toxic chemical found this past spring in the city's wastewater.

The Minnesota Department of Health last week tested the influent and effluent at the city's water treatment facility and found no perfluorooctane sulfonate, which were determined to be in high levels in the city's wastewater system following testing in April by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Bob Smude, supervisor of the administrative unit in the drinking water section of the Minnesota Department of Health, on Wednesday said testing done at both Brainerd's water treatment center and at St. Cloud's water treatment center detected no perfluorooctane sulfonate. Brainerd's drinking water comes from wells and it's treated wastewater is discharged into the Mississippi River. St. Cloud's drinking water comes from the Mississippi River.

Brainerd's wastewater treatment plant, along with 27 other plants throughout Minnesota, were sampled by the MPCA in April and tested for 13 perfluorated chemicals. The results from Brainerd's facility were significantly higher than the other facilities surveyed.

According to the MPCA, Brainerd's wastewater sample contained 1.5 parts per billion of perfluorooctane sulfonate or PFOS - chemicals used for decades to make products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease and water. The Brainerd plant had compound levels 14 times greater than those found at the main treatment plant in the Twin Cities and 214 times greater than those discharged from a St. Cloud treatment plant.

The result of the test meant a delay in issuing a permit for Brainerd's wastewater treatment facility expansion, which is projected to cost $35 million and is scheduled to begin operations in 2009. The delay could add $5 million-$6 million onto the project's cost, Brainerd Public Utilities officials have said.

The MPCA, Brainerd and Baxter have conducted their own tests on wastewater coming into Brainerd's plant, the solids removed from the wastewater, the treated wastewater that will be released from the plant and possible points the chemicals could be sitting. The MPCA also conducted tests at four areas along the Mississippi River.

Results are expected back within two weeks.

"We're kind of in a mode of waiting for the sample analysis to occur," said Paul Hoff, supervisor of the MPCA's Environmental Reporting and Special Studies Unit, on Tuesday. "Then we'll look at data and see if can figure out what, if anything, it adds to our understanding of the situation."

The MPCA has indicated that the likely culprit of the perfluorooctane sulfonate is commercial businesses or industry.

According to the MPCA, 3M was the sole manufacturer of perfluorooctane sulfonate until the company stopped making it in 2002. It was used in Scotchgard products made by 3M, Smith said, but also has been used in carpets and furniture, as well as automobile interiors, firefighting foam, denture cleaners, paper coatings and some shampoos.

Until the perfluorooctane sulfonate problem is resolved, a decision by the MPCA Citizens' Board on whether to approve a permit for Brainerd's wastewater treatment plant expansion has been postponed.

MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.