Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Dan Olson, 218-846-8108 Thief River Falls, Minn. -- The public is invited to comment and make suggestions on a proposal to classify the lower Thief River as a drinking water source. A meeting, hosted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), will be held Monday, Aug. 17, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., in the Thief River Falls council chambers, located at 405 3rd St. East. The proposed change would give the Thief River the same classification and water quality standards as the Red Lake River. The two streams are both sources of drinking water for the city of Thief River Falls. The proposal originated with the Red River Basin Water Quality Team, an MPCA advisory group comprised of citizens, staff from other agencies and producer groups. The change is being proposed by the MPCA, which is in the process of reviewing and updating state water quality standards. Representatives of the MPCA and Minnesota Department of Health will present information, including the potential impacts of the reclassification, and then ask for comments and questions. A record of the meeting will be forwarded to the city of Thief River Falls, which will decide whether to advance the proposal at a September meeting. If the city advances the proposal, it will be reviewed by the MPCA's Citizens' Board and then could become part of the package of changes proposed for the state's water quality rules. That package will be reviewed by a state administrative law judge who will take testimony during winter and spring of 2010 and ultimately rule on whether the proposed changes should be advanced to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Thief River Falls' drinking water is drawn from the reservoir created by a dam located one mile below the confluence of the Red Lake River and the Thief River. The Red Lake River is considered the city's drinking water source, but the Thief River, which is smaller in volume than the Red Lake, also contributes to the reservoir. Monitoring indicates that up to two-thirds of the sediment carried by Thief River is deposited in the reservoir. Sediment in drinking water causes taste and odor issues at the plant. Removing sediment from drinking water can be expensive and may result in undesirable by-products. The proposal has been discussed informally with staff from the city of Thief River Falls and the Red Lake Watershed District, and was presented at the July 7 city council meeting. The reclassification would prevent any new wastewater discharges to the Thief River; however, there are no existing discharges and none are planned. Protection of drinking water is governed by the Safe Drinking Water Act. The city prepared a Source Water Assessment plan which identified contaminants of concern for the Thief and Red Lake Rivers as organics, sediment, micro-organisms, hydrogen sulfide, and turbidity.