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3301 Silver Lake Road, St. Anthony, Minnesota 55418-1699 • www.ci.saint-anthony.mn.us •(612) 782-3301 Fax (612) 782-3302 Our mission is to be a progressive and livable community, a walkable village which is sustainable, safe and secure. April 1, 2016 Dear Resident, In February 2015, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) notified the City of New Brighton that the contaminant, 1,4-dioxane (dioxane), had been detected in trace amounts in some of their city’s drinking water wells. Because the City of Saint Anthony Village draws its water from the same aquifers as New Brighton, we began testing our three wells monthly in addition to the MDH’s periodic testing of the city’s wells. That testing has shown low levels of dioxane. The likely source of the dioxane is the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP) in Arden Hills. TCAAP is the source of other contaminants found in New Brighton’s and Saint Anthony Village’s water supply, which have been successfully treated for 30 years. Dioxane should not be confused with dioxin, a known environmental pollutant found in some foods. The Minnesota Department of Health has advised that amounts below 1 part per billion (ppb) present a minimal health risk. The amounts of dioxane found in Saint Anthony’s water are currently below the MDH’s recommended limits for dioxane in drinking water. We are committed to providing safe, reliable drinking water and we take any risk seriously. Testing shows that the city has not delivered drinking water in excess of the MDH’s advisory health limit of one part per billion (ppb). We are taking additional steps to ensure that our drinking water remains safe. We are in the process of upgrading the city’s water treatment systems so that that the levels of dioxane will not reach a level that may present a health risk. The addition to the water treatment facility is designed to keep dioxane below the 1 part per billion (ppb) threshold recommended by MDH. The United States Army is working with the city to design and finance the upgrades to the water treatment plant. Until the upgrades to the treatment system are completed, we will implement water conservation policies to reduce the risk that dioxane can reach a level that presents a health risk. For the coming months, the city will: • Restrict lawn watering to an odd/even every other day schedule. • Close the city’s two splash pads to conserve fresh water. We understand that both measures present inconveniences but when water quality is concerned, we act with an abundance of caution.