I'm working on a post about fluoride in municipal water. My best friend is getting her Ph.D. in public health at the University of Minnesota. It's safe to say she's brilliant. She and I definitively part company when it comes to fluoride in America's water supply. She considers it one of public health's crowning achievements. Her endorsement of the practice made me curious about the debate behind the scenes.
I've sent an e-mail to the Water Quality director for the City of Hopkins to ask why the report is not online. I will report back.
In the meantime, in following that link, I came upon a source water assessment for Hopkins, and found the following interesting, yet alarming information:
Well Sensitivity - Well sensitivity refers to the integrity of the well due to its construction and maintenance. It is based on the results of the well construction assessment. It can be one of the following:
(1) The well is susceptible to contamination because it does not meet current construction standards or no information about well construction is available, regardless of aquifer sensitivity.
(2) The well is not susceptible because it meets well construction standards and does not present a pathway for contamination to readily enter the water supply.
Aquifer Sensitivity - Aquifer sensitivity refers to the degree of geological protection afforded the aquifer(s) used by the public water supply.
High - The aquifer is considered to exhibit a high sensitivity to contamination because of the local geological setting.
Source Water Susceptibility - Source water susceptibility refers to the likelihood that a contaminant will reach the source of drinking water. It reflects the results of assessing well sensitivity, aquifer sensitivity, and water quality data.
High - The source of drinking water is considered to exhibit a high susceptibility to contamination because of the local geological setting.
High - The source water is considered to be susceptible because of the tritium content of the well water in bedrock.
Contaminants of concern - The following statement summarizes the potential contaminants for which a source of drinking water may be at risk:
One or more contaminants regulated under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act for this public water supply system have been detected in the source water. However, the water supplied to users meets state and federal drinking water standards for potability. For further information, please contact the MDH representative listed at the beginning of this assessment.
That "contaminant of concern" is arsenic. It's very odd that this is not stated on the website.
