St. Louis Park Just Shut Down a Water Treatment Plan. Why?

After obtaining all necessary approvals from involved agencies, St. Louis Park has shut down Water Treatment Plant No. 4 (4701 41st. W.) The plant was officially taken out of service Wednesday, Dec. 28.

It will remain out of service until upgrades to the plant, including air strippers, are completed. Officials say that upgrades will most likely be complete by summer 2018.

The decision to take plant No. 4 out of service was made out of "an abundance of caution and to preserve public trust in the quality of the city’s water," St. Louis Park said on Facebook.

Even though it meets safe drinking water standards set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, officials say aggressive, regular testing continues to suggest that the water quality at the plant is not where the city would like it to be.

Below are some questions and answers about this action provide by the city of St. Louis Park website.

When did concerns about Water Treatment Plant 4 start?

The city was advised in early 2016 of exceedances of health risk levels, set by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and at much lower limits than those of the EPA, for some types of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at Water Treatment Plant No. 4.

Why didn’t the city take the plant out of service when the health advisory was received?

Before receiving the advisory, the city was already working with MDH to develop a short-term solution to lower VOC levels at Water Treatment Plant No. 4. This short-term solution has shown positive results for lowering certain VOC levels, including vinyl chloride, at Water Treatment Plant No. 4. However, recent testing revealed an increase in other VOCs such as trichloroethene (TCE); it’s those test results that prompted the decision to take Water Treatment Plant No. 4 out of service.

Will residents experience any negative effects from this action?

The city has sufficient water capacity to compensate for taking Water Treatment Plant No. 4 out of service. Plans were already in place to take this plant out of service for improvements; this simply moves up the timetable. Residents should not experience any negative impacts in water supply or pressure. In case of extreme emergency, St. Louis Park has relationships with all of its neighboring cities and can ask for assistance in supplying additional water.

What’s the long-term plan for Water Treatment Plant No. 4?

The city is working with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) on upgrades to this plant, including an air stripper. Upgrades will permanently address VOC levels including those for which the increases prompted taking the plant out of service. Improvements are in the design phase and construction will begin in 2017.

Should residents be worried about water quality overall in the city?

Repeated testing by MDH has confirmed that the city of St. Louis Park water is safe to drink and meets all drinking water standards set by the U.S. EPA to be in compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. While city officials were disappointed to discover an increase in certain VOCs at this particular plant, the city considers it good news that our regular, aggressive testing of our water across the system is doing just what it’s supposed to – protect the public health and ensure continued delivery of safe, quality drinking water to residents.

Water Treatment Plant 4 has been taken out of service and is no longer supplying drinking water; however, it it still pumping water in relation to the Reilly consent decree?

Water Treatment Plant 4, supplied by drinking water well SLP4, was taken out of service entirely. Involved agencies supported transferring (adding) the Reilly Consent Decree/Remedial Action Plan pumping requirements for drinking water well SLP4 to drinking water wells SLP10 and SLP15 (both treated at Water Treatment Plant 1). These pumping requirements are in addition to Reilly-related pumping requirements already in place at drinking water wells SLP10 and SLP15 but still within the treatment capabilities of Water Treatment Plant 1.

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