2022 Vol 16, Issue 1 January Gem Lake News

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Special Interest Articles: • MPCA featured at January City Council Meeting • Well and Water Reports • City News, Page 4 Upcoming Recycling Dates: • January 12 • January 26 • February 9 • February 23 MPCA to Report on Wells – January 18 Meeting The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will be providing an update at the January 18 City Council Meeting on city wells that have shown trace contamination from a chemical substance called 1,4 Dioxane. The meeting will take place at Heritage Hall starting at 7:00 p.m. They are also hosting a time slot for individual meetings at Heritage Hall for any resident who wants to show up (no appointment needed) and discuss their own well situation. These one-on- one meeting slots are available on a first-come, first-served basis, starting at 6:00 p.m. and ending around 8:00 p.m. For the past several months, the MPCA and MDH have conducted extensive well testing of residential wells. Please come to the meeting and hear about their results. See also the story below for more information on the science behind Gem Lake’s water supply. Hydrology 101 and Gem Lake’s Well Situation Last fall, slight traces of the chemical 1,4 Dioxane showed up in a handful of wells in Gem Lake. After extensive testing of wells all over the city by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) that number grew to a total of 22 wells. The numbers were measured in parts per billion, with most of the 22 wells coming in with a score of 1-2, and a couple coming in at 3. (More on this later). Since that time, the MPCA and the Minnesota Department of Health have worked closely with the city to answer questions, help determine future strategies for ensuring safe water supplies, and most importantly, determining the source of the contamination. (Continued on page 3) Gem Lake News January 2022 | Volume 16 | Issue 1 Gretchen Artig-Swomley, Newsletter Editor