Strib reports, smelly water for the unfortunates in the Twin Cities having to drink processed river water; not having pristine private well water from a deep aquifer where percolation through wetland and overburden layers purifies it to come from the tap clean, potable, and attractively clear and odor free.
We in Ramsey having private wells have something worth fighting for. At least worth speaking up about, so folks in Ramsey city government know how we feel about our natural resources and about the prospect of some having to switch to river water, to fuel growth, and what that might mean - now when spring melt is on - and also later in times of dought or extreme drought, with the river channel taxed to capacity. And - have no doubt, the aquifer capacity is being strained. Ramsey will not have any new civic-owned well drilling authorized, at least as I understand things to now exist with DNR and other agencies, and current permitting status.
When the water stinks because of growth; well, growth stinks, doesn't it?
This, in the past few days, from Strib -- don't worry, be happy.
Minneapolis' smelly (but safe) tap water to linger -- City water plant operations officials are chalking it up to "some seasonal taste and odor issues."
Star Tribune - Last update: April 3, 2009 - 12:43 AM
The municipal water in Minneapolis again is wrinkling noses with a telltale odor and taste.
Mustiness is being detected in tap water, and city Water Plant Operations Superintendent Chris Catlin is chalking it up to "some seasonal taste and odor issues."HOW LONG: Catlin said to expect the sensory disruption to last another six weeks, emphasizing that there are no health problems. "Our water continues to meet all federal and state standards," he said.
He went on to assure everyone that the city is doing all it can "to reduce the taste and odor -- we feed potassium permanganate [used as a disinfectant and antiseptic] and activated carbon in our efforts to reduce the taste and odor."NOT THE FIRST TIME: The smelly situation surfaced last year in July. Then, city officials pointed to too much organic matter, such as algae and leaves, entering the Mississippi River, the source of the city's drinking water. It's a phenomenon that usually happens after the snow melts in the spring, but they didn't know why it happened last summer.
KEEPING IT COLD WILL HELP: This time around, Catlin says that users can counter the unwanted smell and taste by storing water in a clean glass container in their refrigerator. "Colder water dulls our taste buds and also helps prevent the odor-causing substances from [vaporizing] out of the water," he said.
Since 2001, Minneapolis has invested many millions of dollars to make its drinking water safer. As a result, it now has a state-of-the-art ultra-filtration system that provides water not only for Minneapolis but also for Crystal, Golden Valley, New Hope, parts of Bloomington, Columbia Heights, Hilltop, Edina's Morningside neighborhood and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
PAUL WALSH
And that's not all. The image here is from this link, raising questions worth reading and weighing in mind. Beyond that, (pharma-pollution being a generic national worry), we have MPR [here, in 2004; and here, in 2008] reporting years apart in this 21st century, specifically about the Mississippi itself, and ongoing pollution concern. Have no doubts, it is an ongoing situation, an ongoing threat.So -- Drink up. Toast the City of Ramsey decision-makers bringing you growth and its lifestyle costs. Met Council speaks. Others jump asking, "How high?" on the way up. Through hoops. Jumping over the heads of citizens. Cheerfully. Unquestioningly.
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Don't worry. Be happy.
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-* images from Google Images, not part of Strib reporting *-
Also note, when we protect and adequately buffer our wetlands we then are protecting the first part of a sequence of groundwater purification steps that lead to that fine potable well water we tap from the aquifer. The available water for private domestic well drilling percolates down, through purifying steps, not up from deep hidden places. It is everyone's drinking water. Nobody has exclusive "property rights" to endanger it. Sane civic management of communal wetland resources, regardless of where property lines at present lie, is needed for now and decades into the future. It just makes good sense - protect the drinking water by protecting the first percolation stage - the wetlands.
_____UPDATE_____
This Google, search = Mississippi water quality pollution
This Google, search = wetlands percolation aquifer recharge water quality