Creation of Drinking Water Profiles for At-Risk Communities

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

To evaluate the risk of nitrate contaminated groundwater for residents that rely upon private wells, Dakota County (County) staff, with funding from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), created an inventory of drinking water wells in 12 cities and townships within Dakota County. These Community Drinking Water Profiles provided a greater understanding of private drinking water sources including those wells installed before the adoption of the Minnesota Well Code in 1974. After the County mailed each household a nitrate testing kit, the County used this inventory to determine if samples were representative of the community’s drinking water profile. This process confirmed that older, shallower wells were at greater risk of nitrate contamination. This project allows residents to take appropriate measures to avoid the health risks of nitrate contaminated water. This project is part of a larger, long-term County effort to improve water quality, in cooperation with MDA, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization, University of Minnesota Extension, the Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District and the cities of Hastings and Vermillion.