Lead In Water Report

As of July 1, 2024, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has lowered the action level for lead in drinking water from 20 parts per billion (ppb) to 5 ppb. Initially, MDH said any sampling done prior to July 1, 2024, would fall under the old standard of 20 ppb. MDH has changed this date to August 1, 2023. As such, the sampling we did here in DGF schools falls under the new action level of 5 ppb.

Only 3 samples in the DGF school district indicated 5 ppb or more, and these were all in the elementary school. These water sources are located in rooms 105, 207, and 216. There are 3 courses of action that can be taken with these water sources:

• Signage can be installed with wording to the effect “NONPOTABLE WATER- DO NOT USE FOR DRINKING OR COOKING” and the fixture could not be used for drinking/cooking

• The fixtures can be permanently turned off

• A flush test can be done where the water source is run for 30 seconds and then be resampled and tested to see if the lead level drops below 5 ppb. If it does, then:

  • • A flushing program can be used on the fixture where daily flushing for 30 seconds allows the fixture to be used as normal for drinking or cooking.

    • If the lead content does not drop below 5 ppb this indicates a problem upstream in the supply line, which would require replacing to the point of the problem. If the lead content does drop below 5 ppb this indicates a problem in the fixture, which could then be replaced.

Additional reporting and site details involved with the DGF water compilation can be found by clicking here.