Minot Water Quality

Cities around the country are facing a very difficult decision on what to do about low levels of ...  More »

Cities around the country are facing a very difficult decision on what to do about low levels of prescription drugs showing up in drinking water supplies. Recent reports revealed antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones were detected in the drinking water of 24 major metropolitan areas. According to health officials the drugs wound up in the drinking water when people take pills and part of the drug passes through the body and is flushed down the toilet. The wastewater is treated and discharged into reservoirs, river or lakes, and some of that water is then taken back in and treated again at drinking water plants and piped into homes. However, most treatments now in use don't remove all drug residue. Minot Public Works Director Alan Walter says the federal government does not require cities to test for drug residue in water but he feels Minot's is safe from the water problems that other cities are facing... (Alan Walter, Minot Public Works Director) We are not a major metropolitan area where we've got all of the as much as some of the places, I understand Fargo is one of the places that was involved in the pharmaceuticals test, but the major metropolitan got a lot more of this medicines if you will that will be flushed down the drain. VO CONTINUES Walter says Minot will soon be participating in a study to test the aquifers that the city utilizes for drinking water, the Minot and Sundre aquifers. He says the city will be looking for any effects from chemicals used on the land that might be leeching toward the underground water supply... (Alan Walter, Minot Public Works Director) And it's chemicals being used every year, every month on the ag land and some of that could influence our aquifers that we have our water supplies right now. Walter says federal regulators do regular checks on the city's water tests.  « Less