THE TEST RESULTS ARE IN

As you may have heard I had my water tested by an outside source, not the city. The results are back and I am sick to my stomach. Here I have listed the top take aways from the test results:

ARSENIC - 68.39 should be under 10.00

IRON - 89.36 should be 0.30

MANGANESE - 1.09 should be 0.05

TURBIDITY - 99.80 should be 0.50 or lower

The arsenic levels are nearly 7 times higher than the maximum level recommended by the EPA.

The water that was tested was the orange water I saved the day of the flushing. The flushing that happened at around 8:20 am on December 3rd while I was in the shower. Flushings that happen randomly through our community and are not announced to the residents that I know of. These levels of Arsenic, Iron, Manganese and Turbidity (coloration) are very highly concentrated after the mains are flushed and it is scary.

EPA LINK

HEY CULLIGAN MAN!

I had a great morning with Todd Bergseng, a Licensed Water Consultant for Culligan. He came to the house and did some water tests for us. He also gave us some great suggestions and options for our drinking water. He also took our nasty orange water I saved for a more intense testing. I highly recommend giving him a call and having a very real conversation with him about our water situations, he was very easy to talk to and very un-salesman like. No pressure to commit and I really appreciate that. We are going to pull the trigger reverse osmosis system soon. Here is his contact:

Todd Bergseng

952-912-7343

todd.bergseng@culliganwater.com 

HUNTERS CREST RESIDENT #7 - CLEANING BABY BOTTLES

WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS? WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS?

….that song is going to be in your head all day now. You're welcome. Here is a link to an article about the "cooperation" discussions between St. Boni and Minnetrista.

READ ARTICLE HERE

HUNTERS CREST RESIDENT #6 - NEW CONSTRUCTION NIGHTMARE

I had a heartbreaking phone conversation with a brand new resident to Hunters Crest last night. After all the excitement of choosing a lot, building their dream house and moving in just before Christmas they where met head on with one of the worst water cases I have heard of yet. Their brand new house and brand new appliances have been put through the ringer and they are only ONE WEEK in. Every time they take a shower, they have to clean the shower heads because they clog with the "brown crud". They have also had to clean out their washing machine, dishwasher and even their toilet tanks, on the daily to get the water flowing properly after they get clogged with the "crud"

MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY

“It is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didn’t.”—Martin Van Buren

HOW FAR OUR WATER TRAVELS

LINK TO CITY WEBSITE WITH THIS MAP

The blue dot on the right represents where our water comes from. The purple line represents a 12" water main and the blue represents a 8" water main. The cluster of blue lines on the far left represents the Hunters Crest Development with over 300 homes. That's a lot of milage. 

THIRSTY?

The water glass on the right is full of water straight from the tap after a hydrant flushing (aka the solution). The glass of water on the left is the same water filtered twice.

RESIDENT OF HUNTERS CREST #5

Image of a residents water after a hydrant flushing. A flushing that is the cities solution to getting rid of the coloration from the excess minerals.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR WATER SMELLS/IS A FUNKY COLOR/HAS VERY LOW PRESSURE:

Call, Email, and write the contacts listed below inside this blog. The Public Works contacts, the City Administration contacts and the City Council Member contacts. The more we let them know how bad it is, the more attention this serious matter will receive. Some of the city workers don't live in this city, let alone in our development. We have heard engineers say at local meetings that they themselves wouldn't let their family drink the water that comes out of our faucets. Don't sit back and "wait it out" another two years.

RESIDENT OF PAINTER'S CREEK #4

HUNTERS CREST RESIDENT #3 - WATER PHOTO AFTER A HYDRANT FLUSHING

THE SETTLED WATER

CITY OF MINNETRISTA - ADMINISTRATION CONTACTS

Mike Funk

City Administrator
952-446-1660
mfunk@ci.minnetrista.mn.us

Mike Barone

Assistant Administrator
952-446-1660
mbarone@ci.minnetrista.mn.us

Terri Haarstad

City Clerk
952-446-1660
thaarstad@ci.minnetrista.mn.us

Joan Sandquist

Administrative Aid
952-446-1660
jsandquist@ci.minnetrista.mn.us

LINK TO SITE

CITY OF MINNETRISTA - PUBLIC WORKS DEPT CONTACTS

Gary Peters
Public Works Superintendent
952-446-1660
gpeters@ci.minnetrista.mn.us

Mark Erichson
Director of Public Works and City Engineer (WSB Engineering)
952-446-1660
merichson@ci.minnetrista.mn.us

LINK TO SITE

CITY OF MINNETRISTA - MAYOR AND COUNCIL CONTACTS

Currently, your representatives are:

Mayor Cheryl Fischer
(term expires 12-16)
cfischer@ci.minnetrista.mn.us
952-472-6510

Mark Vanderlinde
(term expires 12-16)
mvanderlinde@ci.minnetrista.mn.us
952-446-9341

Arlene Donahue
(term expires 12-14)
adonahue@ci.minnetrista.mn.us
952-472-4456

Anne Hunt
(term expires 12-14)
ahunt@ci.minnetrista.mn.us
952-472-7034

Bob Christians
(term expires 12-16)
bchristians@ci.minnetrista.mn.us
952-470-2001 Daytime Hours
612-490-9800 Evenings

LINK TO SITE

MN DEPT OF HEALTH - DRINKING WATER PROTECTION FOR HENNEPIN COUNTY CONTACTS

Isaac Bradlich
Community Public Water Supply Unit
651-201-3971
isaac.bradlich@state.mn.us

Ezekiel Mark
Noncommunity Public Water Supply Unit
651-201-3975
ezekiel.mark@state.mn.us

Amal Djerrari
Source Water Protection Hydrologists
651-201-4577
Amal.Djerrari@state.mn.us

John Freitag
Source Water Protection Planners
651-201-4669
John.Freitag@state.mn.us

LINK TO SITE

HYDRANT FLUSHING

The city tells us that Hydrant Flushing is their best solution for the water quality problem while they work on a water treatment solution that is slated for Summer 2015. On the city's website they list information about the flushing including tips for dealing with the results of the flushing.

Reportedly, they are flushing the hydrants frequently, as complaints of discolored, smelly water flood their phone lines and in-boxes from the concerned residents and families. To our knowledge, residents are not notified of these hydrant flushings and are left to deal with the results of the flushing. Even with proper notice, not many people would willingly put up with this for two years while the city works out a real solution to the water quality issue. A solution that could be as easy as combining our water with the already city treated water of St. Boni. Hydrant flushing is not recommended in the winter months but we are told they are going to try and "give it a shot"

Below instructions from the city's webpage on how to deal with the hydrant flushings.

Before the flushing operation begins:

Fill a bottle or clean, plastic milk jug with fresh tap water and store it in the refrigerator to use for drinking and cooking.
Do NOT wash white or light-colored laundry during the flushing operations.

During the flushing operation:

Avoid using the dishwasher and washing machine.
Avoid using faucets (hot or cold) is possible. Wait until the operation is completed.

After the flushing operation is completed:

Open the cold water faucets and let the water flow until it is clear. Turn off the faucets.
Open the hot water faucets and let the water flow until it is clear. Turn off the faucets.
When both hot and cold water are clear, the water is ready for use as normal.
Check the faucet screens for trapped particles.
Wash a load or two of dark-colored clothes first.


NOTE: The city of Minnetrista flushed 41 MILLION GALLONS of our chemically treated water from the hydrants last year alone. 41 MILLION….

RESIDENT OF HUNTERS CREST #2

MY WATER ON DEC. 3RD - HUNTERS CREST RESIDENT #1

WELCOME

A lot of people I know have serious concerns about our water in Minnetrista. This blog simply serves as a tool to get our voice heard for a faster change. Please send me your pictures and I will gladly post them on this blog. Also please contact me if you are interested in joining the cause and I will add you as an admin. As a Hunters Crest resident using our closed group Facebook page to voice our concerns and contacts is no longer a useful tool. We need to have our voices heard and our pictures shared to other local residents. I can't promise I have all the time in the world to constantly update this blog but I promise to help keep the ball moving by supplying important contact information and posting your pictures of the water in your home. Thank you. EMAIL: FIXOURWATERNOWMINNETRISTA@GMAIL.COM