Alycia Overbo
Appearances
Health Chatter
Water & Health
I would say a couple things that we really, really need to know about water and the water supply is how much work the people who run the water system do to make sure that it's safe for everyone. We've got those water operators out there keeping it safe and they work
Health Chatter
Water & Health
You know, usually, especially in the small towns, those water operators are also keeping our wastewater safe and they're wearing multiple hats working for the city. So keeping that in mind, depending on the source of that water, they may have different types of treatment that they're monitoring and keeping track of, responding to those water main breaks or those incidents that Sandeep mentioned.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
And then they follow up with the Department of Health to make sure they're doing all the testing needed to make sure things are safe when they bring the system back online. And then I'd say the other really important thing is to think about what you can do in your own home to keep the water safe once it gets into your house.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
So that's making sure that you let the water run, especially if you have an older home where lead might be present, making sure it's not sitting stagnant in the pipes for a long period of time, and then reducing your risk by always drinking cold water. If you need hot water, heating it up
Health Chatter
Water & Health
on the stove or in the microwave, but using that cold water and then keeping your building plumbing, the maintenance on that up to date. So usually there's little screens on the end of faucets. You can clean those. A lot of people don't know that they can clean those. Most of them just screw off and you can soak them in vinegar for five minutes, brush them off, rinse and put back on.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
And that can help reduce lead in your water, but it can also keep biofilm from building up and clouding up your water. So there's lots of things that you can do at home as well to keep your water safe. So I think those are the two big things for me, just how much work goes into it to make it clean for you and then things you can do at home to reduce your risk. Nothing is risky.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
So that's a great question. And some of that may depend on if you're a private well owner or if you get your water from a water system. So water system, so like municipal water is usually fairly constant throughout the year. The water system may have seasonal trends that they have to adapt for, but the water quality that you get as a consumer is pretty constant.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
If you're a private well owner, depending on the state of your well, there may be seasonal variations in quantity and quality. And that's why we do recommend that private well owners test their water periodically to make sure its safety is being maintained. Private well owners may also have softeners. Some private well owners may have iron filters or arsenic treatment.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
So just making sure if they do have some treatment that they're maintaining it regularly.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
Yeah, so there's no safe level of lead and that includes drinking water too. Lead in paint and lead dust is still the biggest exposure route Minnesotans have to lead. So that comes from those older homes that may still have lead paint in them. But lead from drinking water is still a concern in Minnesota.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
We've just been working to put $240 million that's being invested into getting lead out of drinking water, trying to get those lead service lines out and to make sure that that's done in an equitable way so that people who are exposed to lead from those service lines It gets out as quickly as possible.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
We're kind of having a goal to get that out within 10 years, which we're seeing also reflected in the lead and copper rule improvements, which is a nationwide effort that's also been proposed to try and get lead out nationwide in 10 years from those service lines. Here in Minnesota, we also work with schools and child cares so that they can test for lead.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
We run a lead testing program for them using the water infrastructure improvements for the nation's funding. But there's grants going out to schools and child cares to get lead out when they found it to make sure that when it's found, they're able to actually address it and not just go, we found it, what do we do? So we want to make sure that they can do something about it as well.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
Yep. So let's see. How did I get involved in water? So I would say I got involved in water. kind of professionally. When I was in graduate school, I went to graduate school at the University of Maine in Orono, and I studied radiation in water.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
So I studied lots of different types of environmental radiation, but I actually studied radon in drinking water and radium, which is pretty common out in Maine. And so when I moved to Minnesota, I was teaching for a while,
Health Chatter
Water & Health
But my first job at the state of Minnesota was working on the radionuclides rule for drinking water because Minnesota also has some aquifers where there's naturally occurring radioactive materials. So working with water systems who have to take that mineral out before it gets to consumers. So that's how I got interested in water and I've stayed in that field.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
I guess mine would be to just, I guess I would still go with, you know, you're a part of the water too. So everyone's responsible for keeping water safe, whether that's keeping garbage out of the waste, whether it's picking up pollution, whether it's doing things in your home to make sure your water quality stays safe.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
I mentioned letting it run and doing those things to protect specifically from lead, but those things also can help just maintain good water quality. So I think it's really important that people feel like they're part of making sure water in Minnesota is safe so that they have some investment themselves in, you know, being proud of how great our water quality is here because it takes everyone.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
You know, everyone's concerned about not just water, their health. It's more than just the water quality that comes from the tap. Some people like bottled water for taste. Some people like that crystal clear color. And if their water has certain minerals in it, it might not have that crystal clear color. But the standards for bottled water and public drinking water are very similar.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
And in general, the qualities are comparable between bottled water and water provided by public systems. Public water systems test the water for over 100 contaminants to make sure it's safe. So it's really up to a customer's choice on what they prefer to drink. A lot of people have a favorite taste of water. They have their favorite brand of water. bottled water.
Health Chatter
Water & Health
And even if you talk to someone who's used to well water, some people like that kind of hard water mineral taste. Some people are, you know, they love the city water that's been softened and has some of that extra treatment that takes out some of those minerals. So there's also a customer choice there too, that may impact why people choose bottled water or tap water or a mix of both.