EPA calls for Duluth to improve water system - Duluth News Tribune

EPA calls for Duluth to improve water system - Duluth News Tribune | News, weather, and sports from Duluth, Minnesota

EPA calls for Duluth to improve water system

The cost of the requested fixes could be considerable.

DULUTH — The city and Mayor Emily Larson recently received a sternly worded letter from federal officials at the Environmental Protection Agency who conducted an inspection of the municipal water system in August.

“Based on the inspection, EPA has found evidence that your system has significant deficiencies,” it said.

In all, the agency identified 55 “areas of concern” that included leaking tanks, valves and pipes; corrosion; failing roofs; and a lack of backup redundancy in the system to ensure continued operation in the event of a failure.

Jim Benning, Duluth’s director of public works and utilities, said he and staff are still working on a response to the EPA, and issued the following statement: “Public Works and Utilities are in receipt of a letter outlining the report from their August inspection of our water system. It outlines several repairs needed to the water infrastructure. It is important to note that the quality of our drinking water supply is not affected by anything in this report. Our department will continue to work through the items in the report and comply with the EPA’s request for a response addressing them in 10 days.”

The EPA letter warned city officials that an enforcement action may be taken if deficiencies in Duluth’s water system are not addressed in a timely manner.

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Just what that means remains a bit of a mystery, however.

While addressing the City Council Thursday, Benning said some of the requests can be fulfilled at a relatively modest expense, but others reflect big-ticket improvements.

For instance, one of the concerns raised by EPA officials was Duluth’s reliance on a single water intake — a 5-foot diameter steel pipe that extends 1,500 feet into Lake Superior, drawing water from a depth of 65 feet. He said the cost of installing a second intake of similar scale would likely surpass $10 million.

He noted that water reservoir upgrades also would be spendy.

Benning said he and staff hope to meet with the EPA on Monday and then draft a response, regarding the water intake and many other concerns that have been raised.

“The request was that we provide them with a timeline for when it was going to be fixed, and then the EPA responds with whether they’re going to accept our proposed fix and our proposed timeline. So, all their concerns require those two things: Is our response adequate and is our timeline adequate?” he said.

“We haven’t had an opportunity to prioritize what we want to do or determine the cost of those improvements yet.”

Having verbally consulted with EPA representatives earlier, Benning said the city has already addressed a number of the concerns the agency raised in its written report to Mayor Larson.

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The city also already has $12.8 million in hand from federal and state funding sources to help replace lead water lines and to improve the resiliency of its Lakewood station by installing a backup power system.

Additional funds likely also will be sought through the next state bonding bill, Benning said.

But the EPA report goes into great detail about the numerous shortcomings it found in Duluth’s water system, including inoperable and neglected equipment.

The document includes the following observation: “The Bayview Reservoir valve vault connected to the reservoir was flooded with finished water, likely leaking from the reservoir, and contained two floating, dead rats.”

Duluth treats and runs drinking water through a number of filtering systems, removing materials that are then pumped into “sludge lagoons.” The EPA also raised concerns about where those waste products will be stored for the long term. The city hopes to send them to a local landfill, but it remains unclear whether the waste will be accepted.

Duluth’s vast water system includes about 400 miles of pipe, one treatment center, 15 ground reservoirs, five elevated tanks, and 11 pumping and booster stations. It also supplies clean water to several of its surrounding neighbors, including Hermantown, Proctor and Rice Lake.

Benning said sizable water rate increases are likely on the horizon, with the Public Utilities Commission slated to consider rate hikes of 9.25% annually for next five years, probably come January or February.

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